Brought here by employers who recruit from the poorest EU countries, having to work for low wages was not the worst Eva would go through as she tried to carve out a life for herself in Falkirk.

Over the next year she witnessed fellow Lithuanians sell their bodies for food, was raped and became homeless shortly after giving birth.

But through the help given to her by the International Cultural Forum (ICF), which is based in Falkirk's Grahams Road, Eva has managed to remove herself from the exploitation many migrants face when they move to the area.

Eva said: "My first night in Falkirk was very scary. I had no money so I had no food to eat. The next day we started work, it was very hard but I was very excited because I was going to get paid.

"I worked for three weeks and did not get paid. I was very desperate, like many other people, and lost eight kilos in weight. We were living on stolen food until one day some Russian and Polish men came to the hotel and asked the girls if we would like some money. I got very scared, some girls had sex with the men for £10. I refused and was beaten up. I did not know what to do."

Eva claims she was raped by two of these men and fell pregnant. In a bid to escape abuse she moved to a homeless shelter for eight months. She did not report the matter to the police.

She said: "I heard about the ICF from friends, they have helped and supported me."

The ICF was formed 18 months ago, initially to organise and promote multi-cultural arts in Falkirk, but during the first public consultation it became obvious local migrants desperately needed help with housing, benefit and health.

In April the ICF secured a working agreement with Falkirk Council, giving the organisation vital funding and support from a community education officer. It is also the first agency of its kind in Scotland to offer such a wide range of services.

The service, which is run by volunteers Kal Sarwar and Lois Smith, is now preparing for its first AGM later this year.

Kal said: "We are here to deal with all migrant and international matters in the area, as well as provide support for organisations. We help with everything from filling in forms to dealing with disputes.

"To get a working agreement with the council within 18 months is mainly due to the quality of work we provide. The AGM will let people know how closely we work with Falkirk Council. When migrant workers go in to the council it can take up to three hours to fill out forms. When they come here we spend as long as is needed with them and have volunteer interpreters on hand."

He added: "When people come in for the first time they are terrified to speak to us, they are terrified of gang masters. We work at grassroots level where people can come to us any time of day or night, we've helped people into jobs and we do free English and IT lessons and have computing equipment with multi-lingual softwear."

Kal and Lois are also keen to raise awareness of the exploitation many migrants suffer on arrival in Falkirk. Worryingly stories like Eva's are not uncommon.

Kal said: "Some migrants have been found jobs by friends and relations that are already here, but then there are ones that have been brought over here by employers. These are the ones I'm concerned about. Low-paying labouring companies are going out and targeting poor areas in countries like Lithuania, Bulgaria and Romania. People are told they are going to make £200 a week but their living expenses are not taken into account. They are often put up in hotels or over-occupied flats with girls sharing with six men when they are only 17.

"Our concern is that when it doesn't work the duty of care isn't there. They are just brought over here and then dumped on the streets. The service providers are left to pick up the pieces, which causes them a lot of stress and puts these people in vulnerable positions.

"We've had over 140 cases of people in this situation. In the last three months we've had 10 cases where people have handed their passports over to gangmasters in exchange for work. They are mainly homeless and some women end up abused or turn to prostitution. By the time they get to this point they have no funds so cannot go home. They are coming from poverty into poverty but there is no education out there – Scotland is not all it appears to be.

"This is rife throughout the whole of Scotland. We are doing very well but without resources there is a limit to what we can do."

For Eva life has improved vastly since the intervention of ICF, she now volunteers with the organisation, dealing with outreach issues and interpreting.

She said: "The ICF makes life easier, they give us information we didn't know was available. They have more time to spend with us and are very focused. They tell us about our rights and what we can and cannot claim."

The ICF is currently looking for volunteers, no experience is necessary. For information visit www.icf-falkirk.org, call (01324) 635115 or 0786 219 9727.

Names have been changed