"I was held like a slave"

The young woman from Saudi Arabia arrived in Canada after escaping. There he reports on television about the abuses committed by his family. He thought of suicide.

In his first interview after his arrival in Canada, Rahaf Mohammed al-Kunun, who fled from Saudi Arabia, spoke about his life in his home country. She was considered a "slave" and had been abused by her mother and brother, the 18-year-old said on the Canadian television channel CBC. To escape his family, he had also thought about suicide.

Disowned by his family

The case of the young Saudi had attracted international attention. The eighteen year old had landed in Bangkok at the beginning of January with a Kuwait car and had stopped there. In the beginning, the Thai authorities threatened to send them back to Saudi Arabia against their will.

As a result, the eighteen year old barricaded himself in a hotel room in Bangkok and drew his attention to his destiny through the short Twitter messaging service. Canada finally granted the young asylum and Saturday arrived in Toronto.

Arrival in Toronto: Rahaf Mohammed al-Kunun (male) is received by the Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland (r.). (Source: Carlos Osorio / Reuters)

"My biggest fear was that I would have disappeared if (my parents) found me," he said in the interview. "I was detained for six months to cut my hair and we, Saudi women, are treated like slaves".

After arriving in Canada, her family told her in a letter that she had violated her, the young woman reported. For this reason, he wanted to be called from now on only Rahaf Mohammed and renounce the al-Kunun family name. "Many people hate me, whether it's my family or Saudi Arabia in general," he said in a fragile voice.

"Tell Canadians that I love them"

In Canada, the young woman is under the protection of a non-governmental organization. Now he wants to study English and get a job, he said. In Saudi Arabia, he could not make his dreams come true. In Canada, she has "the feeling of reviving, especially when I felt this love and welcome," he said in the interview. "To Canadians I love them".

The ultra-conservative Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has long been criticized for its restrictive treatment of women. Women in the country are under the protection of their male relatives or husband, who make important decisions in their place.