New report from The Guardian reports exhibitionism, masturbation and physical threats in various parts of the route in Portugal and Spain. “It is being seen as an isolated incident, but it is not”, says the victim.
Pilgrims who walk the historic Camino de Santiago report “terrifying” stories of sexual harassment and assault this Monday, involving men who exposed themselves, masturbated and even physically threatened them.
A total of 9 women spoke to the British newspaper about their cases and the problem was described as “endemic” by the founder of a forum for women pilgrims.
A Canadian pilgrim recalls to the newspaper an incident from 2019, when she was followed by a man who exposed himself and chased her around the city of Mieres, in northern Spain.
Sarah was in a more remote part of the path when she noticed the man’s presence. After hiding in a cafe, she reports that the man was waiting for her further along the path, with the zipper of his pants open and holding his genitals.
“I was horrified”said: “I felt very, very insecure at that moment”.
Her escape took her to the home of an off-duty police officer — a turn of events that may have saved her life. Authorities later discovered that her stalker was carrying a knife and bullets and had previously been convicted of rape.
Many incidents occur in remote or isolated areaswhich makes it difficult to seek immediate help.
Another Canadian pilgrim came across a naked man on her way. Some women felt forced to cut their trip short due to these incidents. Yasmina, 27, found a man masturbating in a tree near Astorga, Spain. Afraid that he would follow her to her hostel, she eventually decided to abandon her pilgrimage.
Another woman, Rosie, aged 25, was the victim of harassment while walking an isolated trail in Takein broad daylight, at 7 am. A man, with his pants down, followed her while he masturbated.
“I haven’t seen a car in 15 minutes,” he says. The heavy backpack slowed the leak and the weak network signal in that forested area made it difficult to call the police, who later patrolled the area. “At that time, I felt completely alone”he confesses.
Despite everything, no suspect was identified following the five complaints.
“It’s being seen as an isolated incident, whereas I know so many other people who have had things happen to them — It’s not an isolated issue.”credits Rosie.
While some women reported swift reactions from police, others faced dismissive attitudes. Jolien Denyayer, 27, received little help when she reported a man who was masturbating near Logroño. After contacting the police several times to no avail, she felt abandoned.
The Camino de Santiago, with its network of routes that ends at the sanctuary of Santiago de Compostela, has attracted pilgrims since the 8th century. These days, it welcomes hundreds of thousands of hikers a year, and while reports of harassment affect only a fraction of those, the reports suggest to some a systemic problem.
