In an apartment on the outskirts of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, two Saudi women are in hiding. Startled by any noise outside the door, the sisters sit close to each other as they describe how they had to outsmart their family, the Saudi government and Western-enabled technology to flee a lifetime of abuse in the kingdom.

Maha al-Subaie, 28, and Wafa al-Subaie, 25 escaped the country on April 1, taking the first plane ride of their lives, flying initially to Turkey and then on to Georgia.

The sisters grew up in the small town of Ranyah with eight other siblings in a family where men exercised control over all aspects of their lives. In recent years their father had been using a Saudi government app called Absher that, among other features, enables male guardians to impose travel restrictions on women.

Now, the sisters just have each other.