Head of Jamaica rights group quits in sex ed flap

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — The head of Jamaica’s most prominent human rights group resigned Sunday amid a lingering controversy over a sex education program that the organization introduced in children’s group homes.

Kay Osborne, a former manager of a local TV station who became executive director of Jamaicans for Justice in April, announced the end of her tenure as director of the group Sunday.

In a letter to the board chairwoman of Jamaicans for Justice, Osborne said she was unaware of the sex education program in six children’s homes before taking the job as director earlier this year.

The sex education initiative was intended to prevent the spread of HIV in Jamaica. But critics say it was inappropriate for youngsters. It included references to anal sex, which is a crime on the Caribbean island.

The controversy has made headlines in Jamaica for weeks. Board members have stepped down in the fallout, and Jamaicans for Justice has said it did not properly vet the content of the sex education program for young wards of the state.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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