Asylum seekers can’t count on same response as Saudi teen: experts
The case of a Saudi teen whose flight from her allegedly abusive family captured international attention is a rare one where circumstances aligned to grant her swift protection in Canada, but others in similar situations can’t count on the same response, immigration experts said Monday.
Eighteen-year-old Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun shot into the spotlight earlier this month when she fled her family while visiting Kuwait and flew to Bangkok, then barricaded herself in an airport hotel room and tweeted that she feared for her life if she returned home.
Alqunun landed in Toronto on Saturday after the Canadian government said it had agreed to resettle her at the request of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. She is expected to make a public statement on Tuesday.