Chacharm
Active Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Via Frances (2012) Vie Del Norte (2015) Via Frances (2016) Le Puy (2017)
I am really surprised that the thread started by a woman who was concerned about a man in a Mercedes had such a condemning response and so much haranguing about laws in Spain about which side of the road to walk on.
So I just want to say a thing or two about (and to) women walking the Camino - alone or in groups.
Women live in a different world than do men. It does not matter our age or relative attractiveness - we are targets for a lot of men. We have a heightened sense of danger that other people, particularly males, tend to ignore or find silly. I once ignored a bad feeling I got from a passing car when I was out for a run near my home - and nearly got myself raped or worse for it.
A man exposing himself or masturbating in public might not seem like a terribly threatening thing in and of itself to some people - but for most women it should indicate a potential for sexual/predatory violence.
Pay attention to your surroundings. Do not ignore your intuition. Stay aware. If a situation seems suspicious assume that it is and move away. Take pictures of people and vehicles that are alarming on any level and text them to friends or family. Ask people who are in the know about the road ahead when you are on Camino. Find out if there are stretches that might be worrisome for a woman alone or walking with a younger person. If so, join a group as you walk that day.
Don't be paranoid - be prepared. Be smart. Don't let another person tell you that a man is staring at you because you are not walking on the correct side of the road or that you have nothing to worry about when you are alarmed.
It is easy to feel safe and let your guard down completely when you're on the Camino meeting so many nice people and feeling so happy out in fresh air every day - and that is a wonderful aspect of the Camino. It also makes it easy to tell yourself you don't hear the warning bells going off in your head.
And if someone tells you about her concern about a particular person or car or place you might try believing that she is not a silly worry wart and pay her heed.
So I just want to say a thing or two about (and to) women walking the Camino - alone or in groups.
Women live in a different world than do men. It does not matter our age or relative attractiveness - we are targets for a lot of men. We have a heightened sense of danger that other people, particularly males, tend to ignore or find silly. I once ignored a bad feeling I got from a passing car when I was out for a run near my home - and nearly got myself raped or worse for it.
A man exposing himself or masturbating in public might not seem like a terribly threatening thing in and of itself to some people - but for most women it should indicate a potential for sexual/predatory violence.
Pay attention to your surroundings. Do not ignore your intuition. Stay aware. If a situation seems suspicious assume that it is and move away. Take pictures of people and vehicles that are alarming on any level and text them to friends or family. Ask people who are in the know about the road ahead when you are on Camino. Find out if there are stretches that might be worrisome for a woman alone or walking with a younger person. If so, join a group as you walk that day.
Don't be paranoid - be prepared. Be smart. Don't let another person tell you that a man is staring at you because you are not walking on the correct side of the road or that you have nothing to worry about when you are alarmed.
It is easy to feel safe and let your guard down completely when you're on the Camino meeting so many nice people and feeling so happy out in fresh air every day - and that is a wonderful aspect of the Camino. It also makes it easy to tell yourself you don't hear the warning bells going off in your head.
And if someone tells you about her concern about a particular person or car or place you might try believing that she is not a silly worry wart and pay her heed.