The Jewish Marriage

Council, which says it has never seen a forced marriage although it has seen “instances whereby one might feel coerced”, and I will have to agree to differ about the difference between an arranged introduction where one of the partners feels “coerced”, and a forced marriage. Currently, any substantial difference escapes me, and the similarities are more concerning than the semantics.

Of more concern is that the JMC seems not to discern anything wrong with coercion and has not, apparently, done anything to prevent it being effective. If that is its approach, its failure to see forced marriages might be a problem of discernment, rather than reflecting the absence of such marriages in the community. We are entitled to better.

Simon Myerson QC

Leeds