The mannequins, set up and planned by charities Fundana and Construyendo Futuros may expand to further shopping centres.
The charities claim that Venezuela has the highest rate of teenage pregnancies, with 23% of births from women under the age of 18.
The move comes as campaigns try to improve sex education in schools around the country and the charities involved are pleased with the results so far: “It’s amazing to see people react as they walk by. This is such a taboo subject in Venezuela, we want people to talk about it. Some people get angry and complain. Others congratulate us.”
While some shoppers were angry about the display, many others such as Auriselvia Torrealba were pleased by the action being taken to highlight the problem: “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?”
