Montreal - Saudi teenager Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, who was
granted asylum in Canada after fleeing from her allegedly abusive
family, pledged on Tuesday to fight for the freedom of other less
fortunate women in a public statement to the media in Toronto.
"Today and for years to come I will work in support of freedom for
women around the world, the same freedom I experienced on the first
day I arrived in Canada," said the 18-year-old, whose widely
publicised battle to escape her family garnered international
attention.
Speaking in Arabic at a press conference at a Toronto immigrant and
refugee settlement agency, al-Qunun, who after her family reportedly
disowned her, now prefers to use Mohammed as her last name, thanked
Canada, Thailand and the UN refugee agency and thousands of
well-wishers around the world.
"I'm one of the lucky ones," Mohammed said. "I know that there are
unlucky women who disappeared after trying to escape or who could not
do anything to change their reality."
Mohammed fled her family while visiting Kuwait and flew to Thailand.
She had planned to enter Australia on a tourist visa and seek asylum.
But she was stopped by Thai immigration authorities after landing at
Bangkok last week.
Mohammed took to social media, asking for help as she barricaded
herself in an airport hotel room.
She landed in Toronto after the Canadian government said it had
agreed to resettle her at the request of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees.
She was personally greeted by Foreign
Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland.