What is Ley Karin and how does it affect your company?
What is Ley Karin?
Law 21.643, popularly known as Ley Karin, was enacted in Chile to prevent, investigate and punish workplace harassment, sexual harassment and violence at work.
Why is it called Ley Karin?
The law is named after Karin Salgado, a nursing technician at Hospital Herminda Martín de Chillán, who committed suicide in 2019 after suffering systematic workplace harassment. Her case highlighted the severe consequences of lack of protection in the workplace.
Main employer obligations
Ley Karin establishes four fundamental pillars that every company must comply with:
1.Prevention protocol: Companies must have a formal protocol for preventing workplace and sexual harassment and violence, which must be known by all workers.
1.Reporting channel: They must provide a clear, accessible and confidential procedure for workers to report harassment or violence situations.
1.Strict deadlines: Once a complaint is received, the investigation must be completed within 30 business days, with a final report including conclusions and measures.
1.Protection measures: The employer must adopt immediate measures to protect the reporting person, such as separation of duties, shift changes or special leave.
Who is obligated?
All companies with one or more workers are subject to this regulation. Size doesn't matter: from a startup to a large corporation.
Non-compliance fines
Non-compliance with Ley Karin can mean fines of up to 5,000 UTM (approximately $350 million Chilean pesos). Additionally, the Labor Inspection can order cessation of activities in severe cases.
Key deadlines
•Adopt protection measures: 24-48 hours from complaint
•Start investigation: 3 business days
•Complete investigation: 30 business days
•Report to Labor Inspection: 5 business days after conclusion
How does Audty help?
Audty automates the entire Ley Karin compliance process:
•Certified anonymous reporting channel that guarantees reporter confidentiality
•Automated investigation workflows that meet legal deadlines
•AI-generated official documents ready for Labor Inspection
•Automatic deadline alerts so you never miss legal timeframes
•Complete traceability of every step in the investigation
