Pregnant Schoolgirl Mannequins Shock Venezuelan Mall Shoppers In Caracas!

In an attempt to draw attention to teen pregnancy in Venezuela, two local charities dressed up three mannequins behind a shop window as girls with bulging stomachs under their school uniforms, which are normally used in the country until age 15. The idea most likely came from the alarming static that one girl under 18 is getting pregnant every three minutes and 23 percent of all births are coming in from that age category, making this one of the highest rates in South America.

Students and mothers walking past the controversial windows are reacting, mostly in shock. 18 year-old Kelly Hernandez said, "I think it's horrible, awful. If I was a mother, I wouldn't want my child to see that." Her friend, 20-year-old Auriselvia Torrealba, saw the higher purpose of the campaign and said, "Yes, it's disturbing to see in a window. But it's the truth. You see pregnant girls all the time on the streets. So this forces you to think about the problem, doesn't it?"

While the socialist government says education in the country has greatly improved, non-governmental institutions still think sexual education needs a lot more work. The two children foundations, Fundana and Construyendo Futuros, are extremely happy with the controversy and publicity the display windows have brought on the matter.

President of Construyendo Futuros, Thalma Cohen says, "It's amazing seeing people react as they walk by. This is such a taboo subject in Venezuela, and we want people to talk about it. Some people get angry and complain; others congratulate us."

Adding to the scary stadistics, the most recent UN data states Venezuela had an adolescent birth rate of 101 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19, one of the highest in Latin America, in 2010.