A display of pregnant school girl mannequins in a Caracas mall is the latest way that two children’s charities are trying to tackle the growing problem of teenage pregnancy in Venezuela.

Three mannequins with pregnant bellies have been dressed in the blue uniform worn by school children in Venezuela until the age of 15.

It aims to draw attention to the fact that it has one of the worst adolescent pregnancy rates in South America, with one girl under the age of 18 becoming pregnant every 3 minutes (Reuters). The idea is to alert young girls to the issue in the hope that it will open their eyes to the seriousness of becoming pregnant at such a young age.

Last time, Life and Style talked about super skinny mannequins being used in Topshop here in London, and how that affects the confidence and expectation of body image of young women. Mannequins are a very visible and influential means of promoting or discouraging a certain lifestyle.

Is highlighting the issue in such a crude manner the answer to raising awareness in young girls about teenage pregnancy? Will it help the rates of teenage pregnancies drop in Venezuela? Many people took to social media to voice their opinions.

Shocking but very interesting way of raising questions around teenage pregnancy http://t.co/6dXkz8m2lK

— Rachel Halliburton (@Hallibee1) November 13, 2014

Pregnant schoolgirl mannequins in Venezuela … disturbing (but gets the point across): http://t.co/4OOiLbrwwa via @GuardianUS — cecilia marie dobbs (@ceciliamarie) November 13, 2014

It seems that the general consensus is that this is the right way to deal with taboo subjects that are difficult to openly discuss. Maybe this direct approach is the way forward, and will pave the way for further campaigns in different countries. The display in question will run for a month, and may even be extended to other malls in the near future.

Picture & video: Euronews