The Board of the human rights lobby group, Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ), has moved to distance Kay Osbourne, its current executive director, from any involvement with the now controvesial sex education programme that was introduced in six privately run children’s homes.
JFJ, in a statement released late on Friday night, said it had been forced to respond after it became aware of a letter, “issued to the press, which seems to place responsibility for the content of certain questionable modules,” on Ms. Osborne, who assumed the position of executive director on April 2, 2014.
The JFJ Board said while its internal review of the project “Healthy Sexual Growth and Development in Marginalised Youth: Rights, Responsibilities and Life Skills” was not yet complete, it needed to make it clear that in its review to date, “Ms. Osborne had nothing to do with the development, implementation, preparation and/or approval of the content of the modules, nor did she have oversight of any aspect of the project.”
The project was “designed, negotiated, and contracted by Dr. Carolyn Gomes with funding arranged by Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVCC),” the JFJ Board said.
Furthermore, the release affirmed, the implementation of the project began in October 2013, under the direct guidance of Dr. Carolyn Gomes, who was then Executive Director of JFJ.
Dr. Gomes resigned from her post with JFJ on December 20, 2013 to take up a new post as Executive Director of the CVCC.
Following her resignation, Dr. Gomes was reappointed to the Board of JFJ where she continued as a Director until her resignation in June 2014.
“At no point during this period did Dr. Gomes, either in writing or verbally, indicate to Ms. Osborne that JFJ was implementing a project of this nature. It is therefore wholly inaccurate to attribute responsibility to Ms. Osborne for the content of the modules or for her to bring that content to the attention of the Board of JFJ,” the statement concluded.
Public debate
The sex education programme became a matter of significant public debate, after it was revealed that its contents included, among other items, discussions about anal sex and oral sex, widely deemed inappropriate, especially taking into consideration the age of some of the children. It took on greater national significance, in part, because the revelation of its contents coincided with a wider debate concerning whether there should be more tolerance for homosexuals in the Jamaican society.
The matter is under investigation by several agencies of government and the Attorney General has been asked to determine whether legal action could be taken against anyone who was involved.
JFJ has already apologised for the manner in which it went about administering the programme.
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JFJ seeks to clear Osbourne of any involvement with sex ed programme
