How a Saudi girl "escaped" to become a refugee in Australia?

The story of Amani AlEssa highlights the issue of Saudi girls seeking asylum in western countries

Saudi women arrive at a mosque to perform the Eid al-Adha morning prayers, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 03 October 2014. Source: AAP

SBS Arabic24 spoke with Saudi woman Amani AlEssa* who fled her homeland in 2016 before gaining a protection visa in Australia.

Now residing in Sydney, the 29-year-old said she was "lucky to escape" her homeland and considered it necessary to change her name following her defection.

She said leaving "was the only way".

Read the full story here

Listen to Amani story in Arabic above