New report of flasher on Portugues

[sarahchicago]

A post on the (edit) Portuguese Camino Facebook page and on the Camigas Facebook page mentions a recent encounter with a man wearing a mask who exposed his genitals to a female pilgrim somewhere on the Portugues. It must be before Corgo (because the poster mentions meeting another, second, female pilgrim at casa fernanda who also recently encountered a person matching the description).
Does anyone on the forum have additional information?

Edit: location was on the Roman road after Ponte de Lima.

 

[henrythedog]

This is sexual assault, and needs to be called-out as such.

I’ve most certainly not lived a sheltered life by any stretch of the imagination, but I can only recall one case remotely close to where I’ve lived which stands comparison.

I suppose we are focussed on Camino routes; and there is a considerable mileage to consider, but these reports do come up with disturbing regulatory.

Rhetorically: what the hell is this all about?

Please, please - report any issues such as this (in Spain using the ‘AlertCops’ app) otherwise go the nearest police station, enlisting the help of your accommodation provider or the nearest facility you can find.

 

[sarahchicago]

This is sexual assault, and needs to be called-out as such.

I’ve most certainly not lived a sheltered life by any stretch of the imagination, but I can only recall one case remotely close to where I’ve lived which stands comparison.

I suppose we are focussed on Camino routes; and there is a considerable mileage to consider, but these reports do come up with disturbing regulatory.

Rhetorically: what the hell is this all about?

Please, please - report any issues such as this (in Spain using the ‘AlertCops’ app) otherwise go the nearest police station, enlisting the help of your accommodation provider or the nearest facility you can find.

Thanks for the quick response, @henrythedog Focus of my question is whether others have read of similar reports and *where* this might be taking place. I have asked these questions of the Camigas poster and will report back if I get additional info. My most immediate concern is for the safety of current walkers.

Other issues you raise: I don’t know if Portuguese law defines this behavior as sexual assault so I am not using that term here, regardless of my own thoughts on this. I understand from popular culture reference to studies of criminal behavior that “peeping Tom” behavior can escalate to “flashing” to physical assault, so this behavior could be on a spectrum that may or may not escalate (I am a researcher by profession but not at all on this topic). Regardless, I know from personal experience and popular reports that an unknown man exposing his genitals non consensually to a woman (or child, which is, by definition non-consensual, or other person, regardless of gender) can feel extremely threatening and can cause lingering psycho-social effects.

Reporting: I asked the posters on Camigas, gently and without judgement, if they had reported and what was the police response. No answer yet.

 

[henrythedog]

Thanks for the quick response, @henrythedog Focus of my question is whether others have read of similar reports and *where* this might be taking place. I have asked these questions of the Camigas poster and will report back if I get additional info. My most immediate concern is for the safety of current walkers.

Other issues you raise: I don’t know if Portuguese law defines this behavior as sexual assault so I am not using that term here, regardless of my own thoughts on this. I understand from popular culture reference to studies of criminal behavior that “peeping Tom” behavior can escalate to “flashing” to physical assault, so this behavior could be on a spectrum that may or may not escalate (I am a researcher by profession but not at all on this topic). Regardless, I know from personal experience and popular reports that an unknown man exposing his genitals non consensually to a woman (or child, which is, by definition non-consensual, or other person, regardless of gender) can feel extremely threatening and can cause lingering psycho-social effects.

Reporting: I asked the posters on Camigas, gently and without judgement, if they had reported and what was the police response. No answer yet.

Yes, sorry - in UK law such behaviour would clearly be treated as sexual assault. I understand that in Spain (I don’t know about Portugal) it might not. Indeed ‘assault’ in Spain might require a medical report before the police would be involved.

I hope that those directly affected feel able to make some official report.

 

[sarahchicago]

A post on the Camigas Facebook page mentions a recent encounter with a man wearing a mask who exposed his genitals to a female pilgrim somewhere on the Portugues. It must be before Corgo (because the poster mentions meeting another, second, female pilgrim at casa fernanda who also recently encountered a person matching the description).
Does anyone on the forum have additional information?

Update: Location was on the Roman road near ponte de Lima. Sounds like a few different groups or individual women saw this person and reported his description and nearby car license plate to, possibly, the owners of Casa Fernanda to report to police.
I’ll keep an eye out for additional info

 

[trecile]

Sounds like a few different groups or individual women saw this person and reported his description and nearby car license plate

This guy wasn't the brightest bulb was he? How dumb to park his car nearby.

 

[sarahchicago]

This guy wasn't the brightest bulb was he? How dumb to park his car nearby.

I don’t know if the car was his. I’m just trying to share info from the post on Camigas Facebook. Another poster on that site mentioned a young Portuguese guy who seemed to be walking and who made comments that seemed odd to the poster. It’s not clear to me that the car had anything to do with the man who the reporter said exposed his genitals while approaching her while wearing a mask.

 

[TaijiPilgrim]

There seem to be frequent reports of flashers etc. on the Camino in Portugal. But I only read posts suggesting reporting to authorities in Spain. In Portugal there is the European emergency number 112. I wonder if there’s an app like Alert Cops or a comparable Portuguese civil guardia?

 

[sarahchicago]

@jungleboy

There seem to be frequent reports of flashers etc. on the Camino in Portugal. But I only read posts suggesting reporting to authorities in Spain. In Portugal there is the European emergency number 112. I wonder if there’s an app like Alert Cops or a comparable Portuguese civil guardia?

I think you live in Portugal, right? Do you know the answer?

 

[Former member 102963]

This is sexual assault, and needs to be called-out as such.

I’ve most certainly not lived a sheltered life by any stretch of the imagination, but I can only recall one case remotely close to where I’ve lived which stands comparison.

I suppose we are focussed on Camino routes; and there is a considerable mileage to consider, but these reports do come up with disturbing regulatory.

Rhetorically: what the hell is this all about?

Please, please - report any issues such as this (in Spain using the ‘AlertCops’ app) otherwise go the nearest police station, enlisting the help of your accommodation provider or the nearest facility you can find.

Also from the UK and fully concur with this although I don’t know how it is seen from a criminal standpoint either. I would like to see society stop using the word ‘flasher’ as it almost trivialises it. Certainly thinking back to lates 70s/80s UK sitcoms ‘flasher’ were often depicted (almost romanticised!!!!) as harmless, nerdy old men, with a bald head and a cheeky smile, and I am not sure we have moved on far enough. Irrespective of whether they go on to commit other sexual crimes I would love to see the full force of the law come down hard.

It is worrying that we are seeing so many on the Camino although I won’t guess whether that is less or more than other places. Well done for reporting the offences as I know that that is it always easy!

 

[jungleboy]

@jungleboy

I think you live in Portugal, right? Do you know the answer?

I do live in Portugal but don’t know the answer, sorry.

 

[Tincatinker]

There seem to be frequent reports of flashers etc. on the Camino in Portugal. But I only read posts suggesting reporting to authorities in Spain. In Portugal there is the European emergency number 112. I wonder if there’s an app like Alert Cops or a comparable Portuguese civil guardia?

Here is a lot of information: https://www.safecommunitiesportugal.com/find-information/police-in-portugal/

The answer is, yes, there is a Portuguese equivalent of the Guardia Civil, the Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR) who seem to have a similar range of duties and cover the whole country with the exception of major cities

Edited to highlight this link: https://www.safecommunitiesportugal.com/find-information/report-a-crime/ and to note that you can report a crime to any of the Police entities. 112 remains the emergency number.

 

[TaijiPilgrim]

Here is a lot of information: https://www.safecommunitiesportugal.com/find-information/police-in-portugal/

The answer is, yes, there is a Portuguese equivalent of the Guardia Civil, the Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR) who seem to have a similar range of duties and cover the whole country with the exception of major cities

Thanks. Perhaps the forum should make clear to pilgrims on the Camino Portuguese who they contact in case of emergency and danger. I think it is different depending on whether you are in Portugual or in Spain.

 

[trecile]

Thanks. Perhaps the forum should make clear to pilgrims on the Camino Portuguese who they contact in case of emergency and danger. I think it is different depending on whether you are in Portugual or in Spain.

The number to call in both Spain and Portugal is 112.

 

[Tincatinker]

Thanks. Perhaps the forum should make clear to pilgrims on the Camino Portuguese who they contact in case of emergency and danger. I think it is different depending on whether you are in Portugual or in Spain.

I've edited my previous post with another link that may help.

I've also spent a couple of hours ploughing through that original link and other resources to try to establish whether "flashing" is a crime in Portugal. While I am not a lawyer, let alone an Advogado, it seems to me that it is. It falls within the recorded crimes index as a "crime against cultural identity and personal integrity". Public nudity per se is no more a crime in Portugal than it is in much of the world, Naturist beaches and clubs are common but exposing your genitalia to a random stranger with the intention of disrupting their personal integrity is a crime and needs to be reported.

And yes it is different depending on whether you are in Spain or Portugal. Different policing structures; different penal codes, but 112 remains the emergency 'phone number and an offence against the person is an offence against the person.

 

[sarahchicago]

Updatefor some reason I can’t edit my original post). I saw *another* report of similar behavior on the coastal near porto from a few weeks ago. I sent a comment to the porto and north Portugal tourism bureau and got an *immediate* response. I then sent Tatiana the location and description of the four distinct incidents in the past 3 months (all in different locations and very different descriptions of the offenders) that I have read here or on the Camigas or Camino Portuguese Facebook pages. I mentioned that these must be only a portion of the number of incidents since I just happened upon them on English language sites. Tatiana’s response:

Hello dear Sarah,

Thank you for your e-mail and alert regarding this serious situation. Can you tell me which stage of the Camino? and which path? Da Costa or Central?

I have already sent your email to the authority responsible for the path, however the more information the better.

Thank you for your input and hopefully we can put an end to this situation.

If you want to send any further comments or suggestions, feel free to do it.


Com os melhores cumprimentos / Kind regards / Bien Cordialement / Saludos Cordiales,

Tatiana Lopes

TURISMO DO PORTO E NORTE DE PORTUGAL PORTO CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU Calçada Dom Pedro Pitões, 15 4050-467 Porto M (+351) 935 557 024 WhatsApp (+351) 938 668 462 www.visitportoandnorth.travel www.visitporto.travel