#SaveAmna: Saudi Twitter rallies to help find abused woman gone missing

Videos have emerged of a Saudi woman pleading with authorities to provide protection from her abusive family, in the latest viral case of human rights violations against women in the kingdom.

The woman, who identifies herself as Amna al-Juaid, speaks of physical and verbal abuse at the hands of her father and other family members in a series of self-filmed videos that have gained traction online.

According to The Huffington Post's Arabic service, Juaid went missing on October 14 and has not been heard from since.

Saudi activists have rallied on Twitter this week using the hashtag #SaveAmna to raise awareness of the case.

"I am recording this video today, because it might be the last video in my life and also for you to know I am real and I am here," Juaid says in one video.

In another clip, she explains that she has been abused by her father, who forced her to marry her cousin, and has received death threats from her family after she recently fled home.

Juaid says that her father seized all of her official documents, preventing her from leaving the country, and that authorities have ignored repeated requests for help.

She also says that she attempted to flee the country to safety but was stopped by authorities and made to return, adding that her only option is to seek refuge in a state-run shelter for women.

Shelter facilities in Saudi Arabia are used both to detain women and to provide protection for those fleeing abuse.

Under the Saudi guardianship system a male family member - normally the father, husband or brother - must grant permission for a woman's study, travel and other activities.

Human Rights Watch on Wednesday urged Riyadh to take action.

"Saudi authorities must start an immediate investigation into the whereabouts of Amna al-Juaid, guarantee her safety and not punish her in case she has escaped," HRW's Arabic-language Twitter account said.

Juaid's case echoes that of Dina Ali Lasloom, who was returned to Saudi Arabia against her will from the Philippines as she attempted to flee the country and has since not been heard from.