Venezuelan Pregnant Schoolgirl Mannequins Call For Better Sex Education To Prevent Teenage Pregnancy

There's More To The Pregnant Schoolgirl Mannequins Than Meets The Eye
|

It's not everyday you see a pregnant schoolgirl mannequin in a shop window. But that's precisely what confronted shoppers in a Venezuelan mall earlier this week.

Of course, the mannequins weren't there to sell maternity-wear school uniform. Instead they aim to highlight the alarmingly-high teenage pregnancy rates in the country and call for better sex education in schools.

The three mannequins, each representing a 15-year-old girl, are part of the sexual education campaign 'I Want To Know'.

Open Image Modal

Teenage pregnancy in Venezuela is the worst in South America, according to the children's charities behind the campaign, Fundana and Construyendo Futuros.

Figures show that one girl under the age of 18 becomes pregnant every three minutes, these mothers count for 23% of all births in the country.

"We're not saying maternity is a bad thing, we're saying that there's a time for everything," said Gabriela Rodriguez, director of sexual education campaign 'I Want To Know'.

"This is a time when teenage girls are beginning their lives as teenagers and are looking for an identity. They're going through a series of changes which are complicated enough without adding pregnancy to the equation."

The mannequins, which have been placed in a Caracas mall, will be on show for a month and may be extended to other malls across the capital.

Story continues below...