Saudi teen ‘lucky one’
Rahaf Mohammed pledges to devote her life in Canada to fighting for freedom of women
A Saudi teen who shot to international prominence through her dramatic flight from an allegedly abusive family said Tuesday that she will devote her new life in Canada to fighting for the freedom of women around the world.
Rahaf Mohammed said her arrival in Toronto has allowed her to join the ranks of the “lucky ones” who experience independence in their everyday lives, something she contends is denied to women in her home country.
“I know that there are unlucky women who disappeared after trying to escape or who could not do anything to change their reality,” the 18-year-old said in her first public statement since her arrival on Saturday.
“Today, and for years to come, I will work in support of freedom for women around the world....the same freedom I experienced on my first day I arrived in Canada.”
Mohammed won global attention last week when she fled her family while visiting Kuwait and flew to Bangkok, Thailand. She barricaded herself in an airport hotel room and launched a Twitter campaign outlining allegations of abuse against her relatives — accusations her family members have denied.
She landed in Toronto after the Canadian government 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, who appeared with her arm around the teen.
Mohammed, who dropped her family name upon arriving in Canada, did not elaborate on her previous allegations during Tuesday’s statement.
She said, however, that restrictions in her home country denied her the sort of life she hopes to lead in Canada.
“I want to be independent. Travel. Make my own decisions on education, a career or who or when I should marry,” she said. “I had no say in any of this. Today I can probably say that I am capable of making all of those decisions.”
Mohammed did not share details on plans for her future in Canada, saying only that she hoped to begin establishing her own private life and would refrain from speaking to media in the near future.
COSTI Immigrant Services, a settlement organization under contract with Ottawa and tasked with helping Mohammed adjust to her new life, said the teen is spending her first few days in Canada signing up for a health card and bank account and other necessities before working on her long-term plans.
Getting her a phone was high on the list of errands, along with updating her wardrobe to suit Toronto’s climate, said Mario Calla, the organization’s executive director.
“We did that on Saturday, the first day she was here. She went to the mall and basically got some winter clothes because she thought she was going to go to Australia so she had a short skirt,” he said, noting there was no time for her to buy new clothes in Thailand.
Eventually, Mohammed will need to find more permanent lodging, potentially with a host family, and think about her education and career plans, he said.