Influential Susan Gofffe Resigns from JFJ .............New ED "If I Was Aware Of Sex-Ed Programme 'I Would Not Have Taken The Job'

The fallout within Jamaicans for Justice since the sex-education scandal continues with the weekend resignation of influential board member, Susan Goffe.

Goffe’s departure follows last month’s resignations from the board by former executive director Dr Carolyn Gomes and Susan Evans.

Both Goffe and Gomes have been the public face of the organisation for many years.

Goffe says the JFJ’s retreat into silence on issues of national importance has pushed her to take the ultimate decision to leave the leadership of the organisation.

Goffe says her disagreement with the direction of the organisation began even before Kay Osborne was appointed as the new JFJ executive director.

The former JFJ spokesperson says it has also become clear that her opinion is not likely to impact on the JFJ’s approach to national issues.

In a television interview on JFJ’s unauthorised sex education course in children’s homes, Gomes had said the organisation needs to refocus and go back to its core methodology of consultation and treating people with respect. 

Goffe says she agrees with Gomes.

also see:FORMER SPOKESPERSON FOR JAMAICANS FOR JUSTICE SAYS FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HERSELF AND THE TOP BRASS PROMPTED HER RESIGNATION (audio included)

also another PNP member has used the opportunity of the JFJ matter to gain political curry favour obviously as the referendum call would be a definite nail in any chance of amending the law 

Meanwhile the Gleaner reported today that ............

Kay Osborne, the new executive director of the Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) says she would not have taken the job with the human rights group had she known about the controversial sex education course implemented in six children’s homes.

Osborne says she joined the human rights group on April 2.

“I joined the organisation to be executive director of a human rights advocacy organisation, and had I known that JFJ was involved in sex education in any way I would not have accepted the job, I would not have applied for the job, because I have no interest nor expertise in sex education of any kind.”

She replaced Dr Carolyn Gomes who had stepped down in November last year, a month after starting the controversial sex education programme.

Osborne says the programme did not feature in the interview for the job.

The executive director says even after taking over the leadership in April, the programme did not come up in her briefings.

Osborne says her main mandate involves, among other things, the development of a strategic plan as part of efforts to train non-governmental organisations in the region.

The Government is investigating JFJ’s unauthorised sex education course in six privately run children’s homes, which included content that may be deemed to have normalised anal and oral sex.

ENDS

note the actual slides that spoke to anal sex: pages 122, 124-125

And as the FamPLAN Jamaica representative said in a Nationwide interview on June 18th the version for the teens is not the same as the instructor's manual (above) and also by my experience facilitating session one does not present all the materials verbatim to a cohort, one has to feel the audience in question; examine in the presentation time allotted their knowledge base and in this case their comfort level in discussing certain subject matters, so I doubt they target groups got to hear even the so called controversial sections. The fear-mongering as well from so called child rights advocates and experts is also disturbing to suggest that the audiences will be "damaged" by just hearing the content is absolutely absurd.

Some questions arise in my mind:

As for the newbie on the block - So sex education is not a part of human rights for Miss Osborne?

Is her scope or knowledge of human rights so limited?

Is JFJ's new board a bunch of religious fanatics too or have they invaded since the Bain matter erupted?

Did Dr Gomes have to run every detail by the board when it is not corporate practice to do so?

Does the board want to micro-manage every aspect of the JFJ? ........... then what is the point of staffing?

Miss Osborne's comments are frightening owing to the prim and proper television interviews she granted just before the sex ed scandal broke and while I admit that JFJ dropped the ball on not alerting the CDA of the content these courses are needed for young persons with all the madness going on with sexual abuse, grooming and early initiation.

This is the same Kay Osborne by the way who was the head of television Jamaica when the controversial tolerance ad (number 1) was not aired when sent in my controversial gay lawyer Maurice Tomlinson, he sued the station alongside CVM TV & the PBCJ and lost. A recent follow up judgement also fortunately spared Mr Tomlinson from paying costs as is customary in such constitutional cases. See more HERE for the outcome of the main case.

See that second cost judgement here:

What is disturbing to me as of late is that while JFJ unravels the funder and ally CVCC Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition is deafeningly silent nor is JFLAG who is a member of that incestuous arrangement and Mrs Gomes is now its Executive Director, many are now speculating that she was rewarded for the ferreting of the sex ed course which is a potential conflict of interest problem and owing to the fact that it was the CVCC via Ms Gomes who pointed out the COI in Professor Bain's Belizean testimony in support of the retention of the buggery law leading or influencing UWI to end his contract more flames are being fanned by this public unravelling of a once respected JFJ.

Take some of the comments with clear mistrust implied:

I do not like the look and feel of this at all and it is sad that such a noble rights groups is breaking apart before us, I have been critical about ethics in advocacy for many years but not to see JFJ go down like this. Jamaicans for Justice were the ones with Miss Gomes as its face who made Jamaica stood up and take notice on governance, accountability, vigilance with the police and children issues related to state care seems that legacy maybe dying faster than we thought and will they remain as allies with JFLAG which took so many years to do (in my time the board then refused to seen taking on LGBT matters).

Peace and tolerance

H