Women walking Camino de Santiago speak of ‘terrifying’ sexual harassment
Sexual aggression said to be ‘endemic’ on route through Spain, Portugal and France with solo female pilgrims at risk.
Lone female pilgrims walking the Camino de Santiago have spoken of being subjected to “terrifying” sexual harassment in near-deserted areas of rural Spain, Portugal and France.
In interviews with the Guardian, nine women alleged they had experienced harassment while attempting the pilgrimage route over the past five years, with several saying they had feared for their lives.
Seven of the women said they had encountered men in Spain and Portugal who were masturbating or touching themselves, one of whom went on to chase the pilgrim through the countryside.
Another woman said she had fended off unwanted touching and lewd comments from several men, while the ninth woman said a man had pulled up in a van as she walked and urged her to get in. The incidents usually took place as the women were walking alone along remote stretches of the Camino.
Lorena Gaibor, the founder of Camigas, an online forum that has been connecting female pilgrims since 2015, said the reports were shocking but not surprising. “Sexual harassment is endemic on the Camino. It feels very common. Every freaking year we get reports of women experiencing the same things,” she said.
‘I feared for my life’: stories of sexual harassment on the Camino de Santiago
Rosie, 25, said she was walking through a forested route in Portugal earlier this summer when she came across a man with no trousers on who was masturbating as he watched her. The local police did not pick up when she tried to call them.
“It was terrifying,” said Rosie, who asked that her full name not be published. “I just felt completely alone at that point.”
The incident had left her feeling unsafe, making her realise her unique vulnerability as a lone female pilgrim.
“The Camino is so amazing, because it’s so difficult, so physically challenging and so mentally challenging,” she said. “But there is this extra element that female hikers face, this extra huge safety issue, which completely affects your whole ability to face those other challenges or enjoy it in the way that other people do.”
