I just felt completely alone in that moment
For centuries, the pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela have drawn solitary walkers seeking spiritual renewal along ancient paths through Portugal, Spain, and France. Yet over the past five years, nine women have come forward to describe a pattern of sexual harassment in the remote stretches of these trails — encounters ranging from indecent exposure to physical assault — revealing that the vulnerability of solitude, long understood as a gift of pilgrimage, has been turned against them. The sacred journey, it seems, carries a shadow that no single jurisdiction has yet chosen to confront.
- Seven of nine women reported men exposing themselves on the trails; one pursued a pilgrim after masturbating while watching her pass — incidents that transformed moments of spiritual solitude into scenes of fear.
- The routes' rural isolation and cross-border geography leave women with almost no immediate recourse: one pilgrim's emergency call to police went entirely unanswered.
- The threat is compounded by the fact that some harassers are fellow pilgrims, meaning victims may encounter the same men again and again as the shared path continues.
- Of all reported cases, only one resulted in a suspect being identified and prosecuted — a near-total failure of accountability that effectively permits perpetrators to keep walking.
- Camigas, an online forum for female pilgrims, receives harassment complaints every single year, and its founder confirms the problem has become endemic rather than exceptional.
- With three countries and multiple jurisdictions involved, no coordinated safety response has emerged, leaving women to choose between abandoning solitude, traveling in groups, or accepting a risk that should never be part of pilgrimage.
Women walking the Santiago de Compostela routes alone — through Portugal, Spain, and France — have described a recurring pattern of sexual harassment in the trails' most remote stretches. Over five years, nine women have come forward with accounts of indecent exposure, unwanted touching, abusive remarks, and pursuit. Seven of them encountered men masturbating on the paths while watching them pass.
One incident this past summer involved a 25-year-old pilgrim on a Portuguese trail who came across a man without pants who exposed himself as she walked by. She called the police; no one answered. "I just felt completely alone in that moment," she told The Guardian. Another woman was subjected to unwanted physical contact and verbal abuse from multiple men along the route. A 2018 case escalated far beyond harassment: a Venezuelan woman was kidnapped and raped by two men in northwestern Spain.
What deepens the danger is that some harassers are fellow pilgrims — men who may reappear further along the same shared path. The rural landscape offers few witnesses and little protection. Yet the official response has done little to address this reality: of the nine women who reported incidents to police, only one case ended in a suspect being identified and prosecuted.
The problem is not isolated. Camigas, an online forum for female pilgrims, receives harassment complaints every year. Its founder confirmed to The Guardian that sexual harassment has become endemic to the Camino experience — a recurring reality rather than a rare exception. Because the routes cross three countries and multiple jurisdictions, no coordinated safety response has taken shape. Women who walk alone continue to do so knowing that, if something happens, help may not come.
Women walking the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage routes alone across Portugal, Spain, and France have reported a pattern of sexual harassment in remote areas that has left them shaken and, in some cases, fearing for their safety. Over the past five years, nine women have come forward with accounts of incidents ranging from indecent exposure to unwanted touching and pursuit—experiences they describe as terrifying.
Seven of these women encountered men masturbating on the trails while watching them. One incident occurred this past summer when a 25-year-old pilgrim came across a man without pants on a Portuguese trail who exposed himself as she passed. She called the police, but her call went unanswered. "It was frightening," she told The Guardian. "I just felt completely alone in that moment." Another woman had to defend herself against unwanted physical contact and abusive remarks from multiple men along the route.
What compounds the vulnerability is that some of these harassers are fellow pilgrims themselves, creating a situation where women fear encountering the same men again as they continue their journey. The routes, particularly in their more rural stretches, offer little protection and few witnesses. One case from 2018 escalated to kidnapping and rape when a Venezuelan woman was taken by two men in northwestern Spain.
The official response has been inadequate. Of the nine women who reported their incidents to police, only one case resulted in the identification of a suspect who was subsequently prosecuted. The others were left without resolution or accountability. This gap between reporting and action leaves victims without recourse and potentially allows perpetrators to continue operating on the routes.
The problem appears systemic rather than isolated. Camigas, an online forum dedicated to female pilgrims, receives complaints every year from women experiencing harassment on the Camino. The forum's founder told The Guardian that sexual harassment has become endemic to the pilgrimage experience. "Every year we receive reports of women going through the same things," she said, underscoring that this is not a rare occurrence but a recurring reality that pilgrims have come to expect.
The routes cross three countries and involve multiple jurisdictions, which may explain why coordinated safety measures have not materialized. Women planning to walk these ancient paths face a choice: travel in groups, abandon the solitude that draws many to pilgrimage, or accept a level of risk that should not be part of the experience. For now, those who walk alone do so knowing that help may not come when they need it most.
Citas Notables
Sexual harassment is endemic on the Camino. Every year we receive reports of women going through the same things.— Founder of Camigas, an online forum for female pilgrims
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why is this happening on the Santiago routes specifically? Is it something about pilgrimage culture, or is it just that remote trails everywhere have this problem?
It's likely both. The routes are isolated and cross borders, which means no single authority owns the problem. But there's also something about the pilgrimage itself—it attracts vulnerable people traveling alone, and that visibility matters to predators.
The police response seems almost negligent. Only one prosecution out of nine reports?
It is negligent, but it's also structural. A woman gets harassed on a Portuguese trail, the man disappears into Spain, and no one has jurisdiction or incentive to follow up. The routes don't have the infrastructure to protect people.
What about the women who keep walking anyway? What does that tell us?
It tells us they're determined, but also that they've internalized the risk as normal. That's the real danger—when harassment becomes so expected that women stop reporting it or stop walking at all.
Is there any movement to actually fix this?
Not yet at scale. The online forum is documenting it, which is important, but documentation without enforcement is just a record of failure. You'd need cross-border coordination, better policing on the routes, and a cultural shift among pilgrims themselves.
Do you think women will stop coming?
Some already have. Others will keep coming but in groups, which changes the entire experience of pilgrimage. Either way, the routes lose something—and women lose the choice to walk alone safely.