Talamanca approves comprehensive regulations against workplace and sexual harassment

The Talamanca Municipal Council unanimously approved the Integrated Regulation of the Municipality of Talamanca to prevent, address, investigate, and sanction violence and harassment in the world of work, workplace harassment, sexual harassment, and violence against women in politics. The decision is recorded in Agreement No. 10 of ordinary session No. 130 on October 22, 2026, published in La Gaceta No. 209 on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, pages 55-59 (official reference IN202601136989).

The motion was presented by Dr. Julio Molina Masís, municipal president, and seconded by council member Freddy Soto Álvarez. The Council approved the waiver of the Commission process, and the agreement was definitively approved with the unanimous vote of council members Julio Molina Masís, Maritza Medrano Gómez, Yahaira Mora Blanco, Freddy Soto Álvarez, and Newton Grant Arana. The text was signed in Bribrí-Talamanca City on October 27, 2026, by the Council secretary, Yorleni Obando Guevara.

Harmonization with ILO Convention 190

According to its recitals, the regulation responds to the entry into force for Costa Rica of Convention No. 190 of the International Labour Organization on the elimination of violence and harassment in the world of work, approved via Law No. 10749 and in effect in the country since October 2, 2026. The municipal norm seeks to avoid contradictions, duplications, and gaps across three coexisting regimes:

• Law No. 7476 and its reforms, regarding sexual harassment in employment and teaching.
• Law No. 10,235 and the municipal regulation approved in ordinary session No. 140 on January 25, 2023, regarding violence against women in politics.
• The applicable disciplinary regime, the Labor Code, and the General Law of Public Administration, for other complaints of violence or workplace harassment.

The articles—32 articles distributed across seven chapters—expand the scope of protection beyond the workplace: it covers official or social activities linked to employment, travel, training, field work, and digital communications related to work. It applies to municipal employees, superiors, and elected authorities.

Complaint, protection, and confidentiality

Human Resources will be the ordinary channel for receiving complaints, unless special regulations provide for another instance or the reported person works in that department, in which case the competent hierarchical instance will be sought. The complaint may be submitted in writing or verbally, with a record and ratification, and evidence that is not reasonably within the reach of the complainant will not be required.

The regulation requires the prompt and reasoned assessment of temporary and proportional measures to protect the integrity of individuals, avoid unnecessary contact, prevent retaliation, and preserve evidence, without this anticipating a sanction. It also imposes confidentiality regarding identity, testimonies, and sensitive data, and establishes the duty of all management to forward information to the competent authority without conducting informal investigations; unjustified omission or deliberate obstruction may lead to disciplinary liability.

Deadlines, sanctions, and special regimes

The text does not create new sanctions: once the facts are proven, the authority with disciplinary power will impose the sanction provided for in the applicable legal regime, in a reasoned and proportional manner. Deadlines are referred to each legal regime:

• Three months as the maximum period to conduct the investigation for sexual harassment, in accordance with Law No. 7476.
• Eight years to file a complaint for sexual harassment, according to article 38 of the same law.
• Notification rules introduced by Law No. 10454 and the regime of Law No. 10029.

Three months to update internal policy

The transitional provisions set a period of three months, counted from the date of entry into force, for the Mayor’s Office and Human Resources to update the internal policy, forms, reception channels, confidentiality instructions, and notification methods. A second transitional provision orders the completion, within the same period, of prevention, information, training, and occupational risk assessment actions derived from Convention 190. Procedures initiated prior to the effective date will continue under the previous rules, without affecting acquired rights.

Additionally, Human Resources will maintain a record of anonymized statistical data on complaints, processing times, and preventive measures, and the Mayor’s Office must present a report on the execution of the preventive policy to the Council at least once a year. The regulation takes effect the day following its publication in La Gaceta.

Source: La Gaceta, No. 209, November 4, 2026, Regulations section (Municipalities), pp. 55-59 (official reference: IN202601136989).