A woman has spoken out about how her Orthodox Jewish husband refuses to divorce her despite being separated for four years

In keeping with strict Jewish religious beliefs, Rachel Balassiano, a 35-year-old from Brooklyn, New York, is fighting to convince her husband to give her a Jewish divorce which is known as a get. The mother of three, who has been separated from Maurice Balassiano, 50, for four years, is considered to be an agunot women, a name given to those who are chained wives. According to traditional Judaism, husbands can withhold a get from their wives for as long as they like as only men have the ability to end a religious marriage. Rachel Belassiano is just one of hundreds of North American women who are considered agunot. According to research conducted in October 2011 by The Mellman Group, a U.S. based research company, there were 462 agunot women living in North America between 2005 and 2010. If she was to remarry without receiving a get, the new marriage would be considered adultery by the Orthodox Jewish community. Any future children would be regarded as bastards. She would also never be able to marry another Orthodox Jew. Maurice Belassiano said that he is willing to grant his wife a get - but only after she agrees to a financial settlement. Rachel Nataneli, a family law attorney who specialises in domestic violence and works with many Orthodox Jewish women, said that some women feel helpless in the situation as many Jewish men use a get as a way to bargain over financial matters.