In a shop window in Caracas, Venezuela, stand mannequins dressed in school uniforms.

These aren’t run-of-the-mill mannequins. They look like pregnant teenagers.

The mannequins were dressed by two local charities to highlight the adolescent pregnancy rate in Venezuela — among the worst in South America, reported Reuters.

“It’s amazing seeing people react as they walk by. This is such a taboo subject in Venezuela,” Thalma Cohen, the president of one of the sponsors, said. “We want people to talk about it.”

Some were shocked by the display. Eighteen-year-old student Kelly Hernandez did a double take with her hands over her mouth when she first saw it. She told Reuters: “I think it’s horrible, awful. If I was a mother, I wouldn’t want my child to see that.”

The tactic has been used before: In 2012, a United Way campaign to prevent teen pregnancy put expectant mannequins in prom dresses in a couple of dress shops in Milwaukee, hoping teens would think twice on prom night. The organization also filled vending machines in Milwaukee high schools with diapers, formula and other baby products to remind students of the harsh realities teen parents face.

The approach was perhaps slightly more subtle than shaming ads seen last year on the New York City subway.

The display in Caracas runs for a month and may be extended nationwide.

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