Manchester police have praised a 14-year-old girl for her bravery after she testified in court against the men who forced her into prostitution.

Nine men were jailed after she was able to identify her abusers and the places to which she was taken. They were convicted yesterday at Manchester crown court of offences that included sexual activity with a child, controlling a child prostitute, facilitating child prostitution and paying for sexual services with a child. Another man was acquitted in connection with the case.

The child went missing from her home in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, on two occasions in February 2008. The second time she was missing for 11 days before turning up in Rusholme, Manchester. When officers spoke to her, she told them she had been sexually exploited by a number of men while she was away form home.

The girl had to testify in separate trials involving the men and she was eventually excused further evidence after a third hearing when psychologists ruled there were fears for her mental and physical wellbeing.

In a statement, the girl said: "These people exploit young girls, introduce them to prostitution, feed them drugs and alcohol and tell them they love them. I know this because it has happened to me and it has changed my life enormously. I just hope that people will be more aware of this now and will be able to prevent this from happening to other vulnerable young girls."

Superintendent Paul Savill, from Greater Manchester police, spoke of the girl's bravery despite her "horrifying ordeal".

"The level of abuse she has suffered is almost beyond belief," he said. "She has been treated like a commodity; beaten, threatened and sexually exploited. These men took advantage of her vulnerability with no regard for her wellbeing. I commend this young girl for her bravery in supporting this case. Even after her ordeal she was able to revisit the sites where she was abused and testify against her abusers in court."

Over a series of separate hearings and trials, Manchester crown court heard how the girl had been first picked up in Rochdale town centre by Asad Hassan. He took her to a nightclub where she was plied with vodka and cigarettes and taken to a flat with two other men, Basharat Mohammed and Mohammed Atif. They all later sexually exploited her.

A few days later she travelled to Manchester where she met another man, Aftab Khan, who also gave her alcohol and drugs before ordering her to work as a prostitute. Over the next 10 days she was forced to have sex with a number of men for money, before flagging down a couple in the street and asking them for help.

"We are very proud of our daughter for her courage in assisting Greater Manchester police with the prosecution of these abusers who caused her such terrible harm," her parents said. "No family should have to endure a nightmare experience like the one we have been through. Sadly, we now know that many young and vulnerable teenage girls are targeted, groomed and abused in this way by such offenders; we support our daughter in hoping that these successful prosecutions will send a message that will help protect other children."

Rachel Loise, a parent support officer from the Coalition for the Removal of Pimping (Crop) said: "This violent sexual exploitation not only ruins the lives of the children and young people; the effects on the whole family are devastating – on both parents and siblings. And this can happen to any child from any family."

The group said it had supported more than 300 affected families across Britain, from across the social spectrum.

"The manipulative methods of the men are highly sophisticated," Crop said. "They have all the experience – the girls and the families have none."

The Children's Society said the "heartbreaking" case in Manchester was not an isolated one.

"A hundred thousand children will run away overnight every year before the age of 16," said Penny Nicholls, the group's director of children and young people. "One in 12 of these children told us they were hurt or harmed in some way while away from home. Our direct work with runaways has shown this group of children to be the most at risk of sexual exploitation."

The men were jailed for between eight months and seven years.