In a bid to escape her abusive family, a Saudi woman, whose first name has been identified as 'Linah,' has turned to crowdfunding as a means to help pay for her trip.
Linah, who's so far been able to leave Saudi, put out a video of herself. In it, she explains why she had to make the "toughest decision in the world."
"I never really got the chance to practice the religion that I want, to accomplish the dreams, and live the life I want. I have seen my life pass me by," Linah says at the start of the video.
"Everyone actually thinks it's so easy to leave your country, leave your family, the people - your own flesh and blood. But, it's not. It's actually the hardest thing I've ever had to do. The strongest struggle, and the worst pain. I had to do that to get the freedom," she adds.
It is unclear where Linah is now, but a crowdfunding campaign to support her has been launched.
"She has managed to escape her abusive family and get out of her tyrannical home country [...] to find justice, mercy and kindness," the GoFundMe page says.
The campaign - which went live on Aug. 21 - has raised well over its targeted amount.
It has garnered $2,145, surpassing the $1,500 goal, at the time of writing. The amount, which was raised by just 15 people, will also help her settle in her new home.
Following the launch of the campaign, which has gone viral, many supported her via the hashtag #SaveLinah
"She deserves the life she wants"
"I'm sorry that this way your only choice"
Others criticized Linah for blaming Islam for her obstacles in life
Linah concludes the video with a statement: "Humanity comes first. Do good and good will always come back to you."
"Another tragedy"
In April, the story of a Saudi woman, Dina Ali Lasloom, went viral after she attempted to seek asylum in Australia. She was stopped by airport officials in the Philippines.
The SAFE Movement, a non-profit organization that fights against abuses carried out under Saudi Arabia's guardianship system, confirmed - at the time - that Dina was taken back to the kingdom, despite the massive social media campaigns.
Dina claimed her family was abusive and would kill her if they had the chance, according to activists.
Although the conditions for women in Saudi Arabia have improved over the last few years, a guardianship system - which treats male consent as a pre-requisite governing women's lives - still exists.
The male guardian, usually the woman's father, brother or husband, has legal rights over the woman in various aspects of life. However, the degree to which that control extends has been reduced.
This May, King Salman issued a new royal decree that frees women from their male guardians when it comes to "government services" (i.e. applying for work permits, medical and educational services).
The order, however, does not allow women to obtain their own passport or travel abroad without a male relative's permission.
Domestic abuse was criminalized in the kingdom in 2013. A year ago, the kingdom set up a domestic violence reporting center. But, since women often suffer abuse at the hands of their male guardians, it is difficult for them to escape and legally charge abusive situations.