Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro is encouraging women to bear more children as his country suffers food shortages and economic ruin.
Maduro made the comments at an event to promote a women’s healthcare plan and said giving birth to extra children was for the “good of the country,” according to Fox News.
“May God bless you for having given life to six little girls and boys,” Maduro said. “Every woman should have six children for the good of the country.”
Maduro has clung to power despite the United States and dozens of other countries recognizing opposition leader Juan Guaido as the rightful leader of the South American country. Venezuela was already suffering dire economic conditions, but the monthslong power dispute has increased poverty.
A survey from the United Nations World Food Programme found that 1 in 3 Venezuelans grapples with food insecurity. Despite food being available, it is hard for residents to purchase it because of the soaring rates of unemployment.
Maduro, a socialist, refused to step aside last year after winning what the U.S. and many other countries said was a sham election. Backed by the U.S., Guaido led thousands of Venezuelans in protest of the regime, but Maduro has managed to maintain his grip on the country thanks to support from countries such as Russia and Cuba.
