A Saudi teenager is being cared for by the United Nations in Thailand tonight, after she escaped from a family holiday in Kuwait, to try and seek refuge Australia.
Eighteen-year-old Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun says her passport was confiscated when she landed in Bangkok, claiming officials want to deport her home.
Holed up in a Bangkok Airport hotel Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun is a runaway teenager, without a home to go back to.
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The 18 year old fled a family holiday in Kuwait, and tried to fly to Australia.
But when she arrived in Bangkok for a connecting flight she says her passport was seized by Saudi embassy officials in Thailand.
Rahaf says she’s been physically assaulted by her family after turning her back on Islam.
She says she escaped fearing for her life, and may be killed if she returns home.
Human Rights groups are just as concerned
It is the first time a case like this has received this much worldwide attention.
Rahaf used social media to post tweets, and film videos of her plight.
In the last few hours there has been a reprieve for Rahaf.
The UN’s refugee agency stepped in, helping her get her passport back and will now assess whether or not it can grant her asylum to another country.
The Australian government is now under intense pressure to try and help Rahaf settle here.
It says it’s monitoring the situation, and wants her to be assessed for asylum as soon as possible.
The refuge assessment could take up to a week, as Rahaf now waits patiently in Thailand, hoping to be offered a new home.
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