(CNN) The Saudi teenager who fled her family and was granted asylum in Canada said Tuesday that she was fortunate to have escaped.

But many other young women in Saudi Arabia like her are not able to get away and take control of their lives, Rahaf Mohammed, 18, said at a press conference Tuesday.

"I am one of the lucky ones. I know there are unlucky women who disappeared after trying to escape, or who could not do anything to change their reality," she said.

"I was not treated respectfully by my family, and I was not allowed to be myself and who I want to be," she added. "As you know, in Saudi Arabia, this is the case for all Saudi women except for those fortunate enough to have understanding parents. They can't be independent, and they need approval from their male guardian. Any woman who thinks of escaping or escaped will be at risk of persecution."

The statements came days after Mohammed -- who dropped her family name, al-Qunun -- sparked an international incident when she barricaded herself in an airport hotel room in Bangkok, Thailand, to prevent officials from sending her back to her family in Kuwait.

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