Safety concern - just stopped my Primitivo

[Tara67]

Hello
I cannot stress enough the importance of keeping your wits about you when walking the camino alone. I was the victim of two incidents along the camino Frances. I like to walk alone for the most part but after last year will definetly make sure there are people ahead and/or behind me. It is also important that you report incidences to the police. thank you

 

[DurhamParish]

Thanks for the update marc31. I hope you can find some peace from this now that you are home.

Even though I am a man, I can still vividly recall being molested by a grown man when I was a youth and how that weighed upon my sense of well being for years afterwards. I am not going to be so brazen as to say "I know how you feel", but I do have a sense of how an incident such as this can effect a person's sense of well-being. God Bless you and I hope you can one day put the anguish behind you.

 

[camino4me]

The sad thing here is that my remarks and those of others are now generating fear. The Camino is still a very safe place....but it seems (in my opinion) that caution is now something we should be advising to those who are walking solo in some areas.
This is a very sad and depressing turn of events....but...there it is.
My opinion...others may disagree.

Grayland, your remarks and those of others are not generating fear, the random attacks and sexual harassments on the camino are. Why some people on this forum label the concern for safety of solo pilgrims as generating fear? Why do we have to feel guilty express our concern for safety issues? Why do you have to feel apologetic by your remarks? I don't find your remarks generating any fear! Regarding the camino is a very safe place, personally, at this moment I don't share that view, I did feel mostly safe during my walk on the camino, however there are plenty of secluded, wooded areas that would render solo female ( and male) walkers vulnerable. The incidents of flashers, robbery, assault and theft in albergue confirms that we have to be street smart and vigilant on the camino! We are not among only the saints, and pious pilgrims on the camino but also among the thieves and perverts!
Therefore, I hope we would encourage opened dialogue and concerns regarding safety issue here rather than silence it. I believe there are many sexual harassment on the camino that went unreported for various reasons. As more women coming out sharing their bad experience on this forum. Please, keep the conversation opened! To all who speaks up and share/ report your bad incidents, thank you, you are doing a favor alarming others of the danger! Fear don't stop people from walking the camino, on the contrary it leads them to be cautious and resourceful to protect themselves on the camino!
To all the camino walkers out there, certain pepper sprays within the guideline of the Health department are classified as defense sprays and are considered legal in Spain. If you want to make sure, consult with the local police before buying one, just remember to toss it before boarding your flight. If owning one makes you feel safer, buy one! Watch the instruction on how to use the pepper spray properly on youtube, there are many.
Buen Camino to all!

 

[camino4me]

Hello
I cannot stress enough the importance of keeping your wits about you when walking the camino alone. I was the victim of two incidents along the camino Frances. I like to walk alone for the most part but after last year will definetly make sure there are people ahead and/or behind me. It is also important that you report incidences to the police. thank you

Tara 67, may I ask are you comfortable sharing the location and detail of your bad incidents? Did you report the incidents to the police? If not yet done, are you considered report them now, maybe it would provide some key infos to the police investigation on perpetrators on the caminos! Best regards.

 

[Alyssa]

There have been a few (numerically, I have heard of more in Ottawa in a year than I have on 7 caminos, but one is too many) episodes of this nature. I had a conversation on the del Norte with a woman civil guard who was involved in an investigation of one of them. They take any incident involving pilgrims with great seriousness and I urge anyone who encounters anything of this nature to immediately report it to the Civil Guard, with as much information as they can provide, and as quickly as possible. While nudity or exposure is not an offence in Spain, any touch at all makes it a grave criminal offence.

For those who are interested in details, there are histories written of how Franco's Spain used indecency laws for political reasons as well as to a means of controlling the behaviour of women in public spaces (beaches, etc). But the authorities are aware of how, in some cases, self-exposure in what we would call flashing instances is the first manifestation of more serious problems.

Report. Report. Report.

Regarding reporting and police reaction, here is my recent experience:

A few days ago, I was leaving Castro Urdiales at around 1:30 in the afternoon alone. Not far past the Castro albergue is a tiny tunnel that serves as an underpass to a road. Parked just on the other side of the tunnel was a white van with a man in the driver's seat talking on his phone.

As I walked by, he began calling out to me, "Hola." "Hola!" I ignored him and kept walking up what turned out to be a very isolated back road past a trailer park.

Feeling nervous, I decided it's better to be safe than sorry so googled the local police department and called them, explaining the situation to the person who answered.

He was solicitous and patient with my Spanish and asked for details about the precise location of the van then told me he would send someone out to see who the guy was.

Later that day I saw the Guarda Civil twice along the Camino route, which continued to be isolated until arriving at the albergue in Islares around 3:30.

Marc31l, I am very sorry you had that experience!

 

[Anniesantiago]

Regarding reporting and police reaction, here is my recent experience:

A few days ago, I was leaving Castro Urdiales at around 1:30 in the afternoon alone. Not far past the Castro albergue is a tiny tunnel that serves as an underpass to a road. Parked just on the other side of the tunnel was a white van with a man in the driver's seat talking on his phone.

As I walked by, he began calling out to me, "Hola." "Hola!" I ignored him and kept walking up what turned out to be a very isolated back road past a trailer park.

Feeling nervous, I decided it's better to be safe than sorry so googled the local police department and called them, explaining the situation to the person who answered.

He was solicitous and patient with my Spanish and asked for details about the precise location of the van then told me he would send someone out to see who the guy was.

Later that day I saw the Guarda Civil twice along the Camino route, which continued to be isolated until arriving at the albergue in Islares around 3:30.

Marc31l, I am very sorry you had that experience!

You did exactly the right thing!

 

[jennie]

So glad to hear you are feeling more empowered this morning. I know so many others have already said it, but thank you from me too for reporting this event.
I think it is a very good idea for you to keep walking and in no way do I want to alarm you, but I will tell you of a potential "situation" you may come across. If you are warned, you cannot be taken by surprise and will be more confident. I posted about this last year and then a number of others chimed in with a similar experience from what must obviously be the same man. About 6km from Bodenaya a very respectably dressed old man sits on a stone fence and welcomes you. When you get close he offers a handshake - then pulls you much too close and does not let go. Just wave at this man - wish him well and walk past. I do not think he means any harm, but it would be disconcerting for you after the dreadful experience you have already had.
May you walk in peace.

great advice on this old guy, have met him twice,and yes he seems hamless. but good thinking to pre warn ,

 

[Jools]

I just wanted to post as a form of reassurance to any woman contemplating walking alone. I just finished my first Camino (Primitivo) and although I had read the posts I have travelled a lot alone (but not remote walking) and I still felt confident enough to go ahead as I think things like this can happen anywhere in the world. I have to say this has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life and if I had time I would turn around and do it all again tomorrow. Asturias is wonderful, very rural and more basic but I loved it, things gradually change as you go through Galicia and then there is the shock of the Frances joining the Primitivo (so much so I ended up going off the main route to a casa rural (rural country house b&b) 10km south to get away from the circus - these two days were wonderful and I just had the map app on my phone to guide me). Admittedly I speak spanish but met plenty of other lone women who didnt and were fine - there is a lot of comraderee on the Primitivo which I think overall makes for a much more enjoyable experience.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

I just wanted to post as a form of reassurance to any woman contemplating walking alone. I just finished my first Camino (Primitivo) and although I had read the posts I have travelled a lot alone (but not remote walking) and I still felt confident enough to go ahead as I think things like this can happen anywhere in the world. I have to say this has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life and if I had time I would turn around and do it all again tomorrow. Asturias is wonderful, very rural and more basic but I loved it, things gradually change as you go through Galicia and then there is the shock of the Frances joining the Primitivo (so much so I ended up going off the main route to a casa rural (rural country house b&b) 10km south to get away from the circus - these two days were wonderful and I just had the map app on my phone to guide me). Admittedly I speak spanish but met plenty of other lone women who didnt and were fine - there is a lot of comraderee on the Primitivo which I think overall makes for a much more enjoyable experience.

Jools, so glad you had a wonderful time and posted about your walk here to give others the confidence to walk on their own. Also,had to smile when reading about your réaction when joinin the CF: my first réaction was also to bolt . I have been back home for 6 weeks and I want to go again this fall!

 

[Texas Walker]

I totally agree, the warnings and remarks on this blog shouldn't be viewed as spreading fear as the awareness of the vulnerability of lone pilgrim especially lone female pilgrim is necessary to save and protect! On the other hand I would like to bring to your attention that fear is not at all negative, according to Gavin de Becker's book "The gift of fear", fear is the primal instinct that could save our life. So please don't hesitate to inform others and be informed and trust your instinct of fear when it is in your face. Here are a few link on the subject,

I have walked 5 different routes of the camino during the period between May 2013-August 2014. I walked most of the time alone, I preferred the solitude and meditative aspect while walking and I was lucky I came out of it safe and sound. Except I had the same experience on the Primitivo with the old man who came out to greet me and asI extend my hand for a handshake he grab my hands and pull me in to kiss my cheek.

It is possible (not being there I can't say for sure) that you have encountered a difference in local customs of greetings. A kiss on the cheek is not out of line--if you are dealing with someone from a hispanic culture. In South Texas and Mexico you can get an "abrazo" from all kinds of people, and the old custom in many social groups is to talk at such a close distance that you're practically hugging. (It's no wonder that they say that Americans are standoffish and shout all the time--we stand farther away, and what they call normal conversational tones we call whispering.) And if you have friendly conversation with a French person, you may get the two-cheek-kisses. It's a very brisk greeting.

It's a good idea to try and get a handle on what is considered normal social behavior for a place. We noticed that in Spain there were times when people stared quite freely--but it falls into "no harm, no foul." We also noticed that when we looked lost in Burgos, people assumed that we were looking for the Camino route and pointed out the (very obvious) arrows in the pavement. In Lisbon all we had to do sometimes was to stand still looking at a map in the subway and someone would walk up and ask if we needed help finding something. (Very friendly people, the Portuguese.)

It is also true that if someone creeps you out, you should take that as information to consider, not merely "the vapors" as the reason you are creeped-out is probably body language. Which is itself a mix of the inborn postures and the local cultures.

I walked with my buddy--though the first time, on the Frances, he was ahead most of the time--so I had someone who was aware of me. (And he swears that I was never out of sight, so maybe when I lost sight of him it was because I was looking at my footing instead of my hubby!) And it's always wise to be aware of your surroundings--there are such things as sinkholes, stray dogs, the occasional bandit, and the cross traffic that is driving almost fast enough to take flight.

And I conclude by repeating what I say a lot: On the Camino, you are watched over, and not only by the Spanish police. We were bailed out so, so many times and it was only much later that we realized that we'd been steered to the better place to be and to walk, as we had not even realized we were approaching onto trouble and we were steered clear of it. Thank you, Santiago!

Blessings
Karen