Karin Law summary: what it requires and how to prevent harassment

The Ley Karin (Chile's Karin Law, Law 21.643) requires every company in Chile to have a protocol to prevent sexual harassment, workplace harassment and violence at work, a procedure to investigate complaints and protective measures for the person who files a complaint. It has been in force since August 1, 2024.

For HR, the complaint is the visible part; what the law asks for first is prevention. This guide sums up what the law says, what the regulation and Chile's Superintendence of Social Security (SUSESO) added, how a complaint is filed and how to build the preventive part so it works in a plant, an office or a worksite.

What is the Karin Law and since when is it in force?

It is Law 21.643, published in the Diario Oficial (Chile's official gazette) No. 43,750 of January 15, 2024, which amends the Código del Trabajo (Labor Code) on the prevention, investigation and sanctioning of workplace harassment, sexual harassment and violence at work. Its transitional article made it take effect on the first day of the sixth month after publication, that is, August 1, 2024, the date confirmed by the Superintendence of Social Security.

The law changed three definitions in article 2 of the Código del Trabajo. The one that moves practice the most is workplace harassment: any conduct of aggression or harassment by the employer or by one or more workers against another, by any means, "whether it occurs only once or repeatedly", that causes them harm, mistreatment or humiliation, or that threatens their employment situation. Before, repetition was required. The law also defines sexual harassment and adds violence by third parties outside the employment relationship, such as clients, suppliers or users.

The law is complemented by Decree No. 21 of the Ministry of Labor, of May 26, 2024, published in the Diario Oficial on July 3, 2024, which sets how investigations are carried out, and by SUSESO Circular No. 3,813 of June 7, 2024, which sets the minimum content of the prevention protocol.

What does the Karin Law require from the company?

Five obligations, all in the Código del Trabajo:

1. A prevention protocol (article 211-A), with five components: identifying hazards and assessing psychosocial risks with a gender perspective; prevention and control measures with measurable objectives; information and training; measures suited to the nature of the services; and protection of the privacy and honor of everyone involved.
2. An investigation procedure that respects the principles of confidentiality, impartiality, speed and gender perspective (article 211-B), following the guidelines of Decree No. 21.
3. Including the protocol in the internal rules (article 154 No. 12). If the company is not required to have internal rules, it hands the protocol over in writing when the contract is signed (article 154 bis).
4. Reporting every six months the complaint channels the company maintains (final paragraph of article 211-A).
5. Taking protective measures as soon as it receives a complaint, such as separating spaces or rearranging work hours, and referring the affected person to the early psychological care offered by their organismo administrador (the body that administers their work accident insurance under Ley 16.744) (article 211-B bis).

Circular No. 3,813 brings this down to earth. The protocol starts with a prevention policy signed by the company's highest authority. The risk assessment is done with the CEAL-SM questionnaire: in the violence and harassment dimension, its 7 questions are analyzed and any answer other than "no" is treated as a risk, even if the overall result is low. Companies with fewer than 10 workers can use the checklist in annex No. 54. The identification of risk factors is reviewed at least every two years, and compliance with the measures is evaluated once a year.

How to file a complaint under the Karin Law

The affected person can file a complaint in writing or verbally, with their employer or with the Labor Inspectorate. If it is verbal, a record is drawn up and signed by the person filing the complaint. At the Dirección del Trabajo (Chile's Labor Directorate) there are three channels: in person at a municipal or provincial office, online through the MiDT portal (subject "Vulneración de Derechos Fundamentales / Ley Karin") and by referral from the employer.

If the complaint reaches the company, it has three days to decide whether it investigates or refers the case to the Inspectorate. The investigation must be completed in 30 days, be recorded in writing and be sent with its conclusions to the Dirección del Trabajo, which has 30 days to issue an opinion; if it does not, the company's conclusions stand (article 211-C). After that, the company applies the measures or sanctions within 15 calendar days (article 19 of Decree No. 21).

How many complaints are filed and about what?

Between August 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025, the Dirección del Trabajo received 44,212 complaints under the Karin Law. Of those it approved as a violation, workplace harassment accounted for 87.5%; violence at work and sexual harassment made up the rest, according to its July 2025 complaints report. The same report records fines issued by the Dirección del Trabajo for, among other matters, failing to comply with the prevention protocol.

What that figure tells HR is where the risk is: almost all of it is about how people who work together treat each other, in management, shifts and teams with a high workload. That is exactly what the CEAL-SM measures as psychosocial risk before anyone files a complaint.

What happens on site

The pattern that repeats across companies is having the protocol in the internal rules and the training done once, by email. The circular asks for something else: a work program with deadlines and owners, periodic training that includes managers and supervisors, and a review that does not wait for a harmful event to adjust the measures.

How to prevent workplace harassment step by step

The order follows Circular No. 3,813. In parentheses is the section that supports each step, so you can show it during an inspection.

1. Sign the prevention policy with the company's highest authority and set up the committee that will follow it (section II.1, letter A).
2. Apply the CEAL-SM and read the violence and harassment dimension separately, question by question and by work group (section II.1, B1).
3. With the results, build a participatory work program: which measure, in which team, who is responsible and by when (B2).
4. Train everyone, starting with supervisors: what harassment is, what it is not, how to file a complaint and how confidentiality is kept (B3).
5. Communicate the protocol and, every six months, the complaint channels, with who receives complaints and how to contact them (section II.2).
6. Have the referral to early psychological care from your mutual insurance fund (mutual) or the ISL (Chile's public workplace safety institute) ready for the day a complaint comes in (section III.B).
7. Evaluate once a year whether the measures were carried out and whether they worked, with indicators such as CEAL-SM results, medical leave and complaints, and make a report available to workers (annex No. 53).

Steps 3 and 4 are the ones that tend to stay on paper, and your company defines them with its administering body. Makana does not replace that process; we provide tools that help mitigate the underlying psychosocial risk: psychologists who visit teams on site with sessions and activities at the workplace, and an app where Alma, our AI assistant, supports tools for stress, anxiety and sleep, with more than 115 hours of content. The company sees only aggregated, anonymized information, which works as an indicator for the program without exposing anyone. At Marsh, the program reached 80% daily adoption (Marsh case).

Early psychological care, on the other hand, is provided by your administering body under Ley 16.744 with psychologists trained in trauma. Prevention and response complement each other: one lowers the risk and the other responds once the event has already happened.

Frequently asked questions

Which companies does the Karin Law apply to?

All employers, regardless of size. Companies with fewer than 10 workers can assess risk with the checklist in SUSESO annex No. 54 instead of the CEAL-SM.

Can a single episode be workplace harassment?

Yes. Since Law 21.643, workplace harassment exists even if the conduct occurs only once, if it causes harm, mistreatment or humiliation.

How long does a Karin Law investigation take?

Thirty days to complete it. The Dirección del Trabajo has another 30 to issue an opinion, and the company has 15 calendar days to apply the measures.

Who provides psychological care to the person who files a complaint?

The administering body under Ley 16.744 (the mutual or the ISL), through its programs. The company makes the referral as a protective measure, and the person decides whether to attend.

How often is the protocol updated?

The risk identification and the policy are reviewed at least every two years, and compliance with the measures is evaluated every year, according to annex No. 53 of Circular No. 3,813.

The next step

If your CEAL-SM already flagged risk in violence and harassment, the work program needs measures that people actually use. At Makana we bring on-site psychologists and the app with Alma to teams, and we measure whether it holds up: among people who use Makana at least once a month, absenteeism fell 17.5% compared with a control group (UC · ANID study). See how we work with companies.

This content is for information only and does not replace legal advice or advice from your administering body under Ley 16.744.

Review: Makana team (internal review). Last reviewed: October 17, 2026.