The Saudi teen granted asylum in Canada after fleeing her allegedly abusive family says she’s grateful for the support she’s received.
Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun delivered a statement to the media Tuesday, after arriving in Canada two days before.
“I am one of the lucky ones,” she said in a statement read by a translator.
“I know that there are unlucky women who disappear after trying to escape or could not do anything to change their reality.”
She noted that most women in her home country of Saudi Arabia need permission from male guardians for most things.
The 18-year-old ran from her family last week while visiting Kuwait.
She says they were abusive and trying to force her into an arranged marriage.
After barricading herself in a Bangkok hotel room she took to Twitter for help, saying she feared for her life.
That’s when the United Nations stepped in.
Alqunun’s case was fast-tracked by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which asked Canada to take her in as a refugee.
Saturday morning, she arrived at Toronto’s Pearson Airport, with Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland at her side.
She says she hopes to lead an independent but private life now that she has settled in Toronto.
As a government-assisted refugee, she will receive financial support for up to 12 months.