A Saudi teenager who fled the Middle Eastern kingdom due to fears that she would be harmed or killed by family members, has received multiple threats online after being granted asylum in Canada.

Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun is set to begin her new life in Toronto accompanied by a security guard, who has been hired to ensure she is "never alone"

The 18-year-old attracted global attention after she barricaded herself in a hotel room in Thailand before taking to social media to plead for assistance, nonetheless pledged to fight for women's freedoms in her first public appearance since she touched down in the city.

"Today and for years to come, I will work in support of freedom for women around the world," the teenager said in a statement, which she read out in Arabic at a press conference.

"I am one of the lucky ones," she added. "I know there are unlucky women that disappeared after escaping and could not do anything to change their reality."

The teenager hit the headlines after she was stopped in Thailand's capital Bangkok on 4 January. Immigration police seized her passport and denied her entry to the country.

She then took to Twitter to explain that she escaped Saudi Arabia during a trip to Kuwait and that her life would be in danger if she was forced to return to her family.

Her family denies any abuse.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees eventually granted the 18-year-old refugee status and she accepted an offer of asylum from Canada.

10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Show all 10 1 /10 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In October 2014, three lawyers, Dr Abdulrahman al-Subaihi, Bander al-Nogaithan and Abdulrahman al-Rumaih , were sentenced to up to eight years in prison for using Twitter to criticize the Ministry of Justice. AFP/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2015, Yemen’s Sunni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi was forced into exile after a Shia-led insurgency. A Saudi Arabia-led coalition has responded with air strikes in order to reinstate Mr Hadi. It has since been accused of committing war crimes in the country. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Women who supported the Women2Drive campaign, launched in 2011 to challenge the ban on women driving vehicles, faced harassment and intimidation by the authorities. The government warned that women drivers would face arrest. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Members of the Kingdom’s Shia minority, most of whom live in the oil-rich Eastern Province, continue to face discrimination that limits their access to government services and employment. Activists have received death sentences or long prison terms for their alleged participation in protests in 2011 and 2012. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses All public gatherings are prohibited under an order issued by the Interior Ministry in 2011. Those defy the ban face arrest, prosecution and imprisonment on charges such as “inciting people against the authorities”. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2014, the Interior Ministry stated that authorities had deported over 370,000 foreign migrants and that 18,000 others were in detention. Thousands of workers were returned to Somalia and other states where they were at risk of human rights abuses, with large numbers also returned to Yemen, in order to open more jobs to Saudi Arabians. Many migrants reported that prior to their deportation they had been packed into overcrowded makeshift detention facilities where they received little food and water and were abused by guards. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses The Saudi Arabian authorities continue to deny access to independent human rights organisations like Amnesty International, and they have been known to take punitive action, including through the courts, against activists and family members of victims who contact Amnesty. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Raif Badawi was sentenced to 1000 lashes and 10 years in prison for using his liberal blog to criticise Saudi Arabia’s clerics. He has already received 50 lashes, which have reportedly left him in poor health. Carsten Koall/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Dawood al-Marhoon was arrested aged 17 for participating in an anti-government protest. After refusing to spy on his fellow protestors, he was tortured and forced to sign a blank document that would later contain his ‘confession’. At Dawood’s trial, the prosecution requested death by crucifixion while refusing him a lawyer. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Ali Mohammed al-Nimr was arrested in 2012 aged either 16 or 17 for participating in protests during the Arab spring. His sentence includes beheading and crucifixion. The international community has spoken out against the punishment and has called on Saudi Arabia to stop. He is the nephew of a prominent government dissident. Getty

Costi, a refugee agency, has been hired by the Canadian government to help Ms al-Qunun settle into Toronto.

Staff at the agency remain concerned over multiple threats aimed at the teenager online.

"It's hard to say how serious these threats are," Mario Calla, the agency's executive director, said. "We're taking them seriously."

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Ms al-Qunun thanked the Canadian and Thai governments and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for making her move to Canada possible.

"I understand that everyone here and around the world wishes me well and would like to continue to hear about how I am doing, but ... I would like to start living a normal private life, just like any other young woman living in Canada," she said.