The 77 Percent - Topics

In Kenya, the majority of the population is under 35 but a large part of those people are unemployed. Some try to set up their own businesses but others opt to sell their own bodies in order to make a quick buck. DW's Diana Wanyonyi met up with two young men who work as male prostitutes and are part of an organisation which provides counselling and testing for HIV positive people.

From socio-economic and political inequality to gender and rural-urban inequality. Africa is a continent rife with disparities. This week, the 77 Percent debate joins hands with DW’s Global Media Forum in asking the question: Will we ever have a world of equality or is that just a fantasy?

It's the oldest profession known to mankind yet it remains risky and controversial. I'm talking about prostitution. In the 77 percent program this week, we hear from under-age girls working as sex workers in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. And it's not just women, we also get to hear from two male sex workers in Kenya.

Poverty in Sierra Leone often drives girls to work on the streets. Some young teenagers work in prostitution to earn money to pay their school fees. DW's Olivia Acland spent an evening touring the capital, Freetown, with NGO Don Bosco, speaking to under-age girls about their lives as sex workers.

In Kenya, gender-based and societal violence is on the rise. To tackle the problem, authorities are rolling out taekwondo programs in primary schools.

The world’s oldest presidents rule the youngest continent on earth which is Africa. Could it be the reason why the 77 percent — Africa’s youth majority — is not interested in politics? Do the votes of these millions of young voters matter? Join Chrispin Mwakideu for this week’s debate on air and on DW Africa Facebook page.

On July 29, Malians will go to the polls to choose their next leader. Incumbent President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita is 73 years old, his main rival, Soumaila Cisse, is 68. Who should they pick and will the youth vote really matter? Bram Posthumus in Bamako went to find out.

In this week's show Young boys and girls in Mombasa, Kenya, are training in Taekwondo to defend themselves from rape and violence. And Zambia's government is putting measures in place to deal with issues of gender based violence. All these plus your comments on the topic. Tune in.

In Mombasa, Kenya, a community based organization has rolled out a program to train young girls and boys in Taekwondo to provide self defense and stop them becoming rape victims or the subject of violence.

Cases of gender based violence in Zambia have reached alarming levels; more than 20,000 cases are reported annually especially among young couples. The government has put in place an anti-gender based violence law as well as setting up one stop centers in several communities where gender based violence cases can be reported and dealt with. DW's Kathy Short tells us more