narrator: today, "global 3000" gives women a voice. like here in ramallah, where a palestinian woman is using radio to fight stereotypes in her community. and we'll be listening to this woman. uganda's youngest rap star is self-confident and politically outspoken. her aim -- becoming president. but first we go to guatemala, a country in which women rarely have a say and where teenage pregnancies make up 1/4 of the total. every year 7.3 million girls under 18 worldwide give birth. almost all of them are from developing countries. there are many contributing factors --

maybe they have no schooling or paid work, there's neither sex education nor preventative health care. and once their children are born, most of these mothers remain stuck in the poverty trap. narrator: it began like many other teenage romances. 16-year-old maria elsa fell in love with 18-year-old gonzales. maria: he said we'd get married and live together happily. narrator: but from the first day maria elsa moved in with him, her life became a nightmare. maria: when he took me home, he locked me up and beat me. he beat me with broomsticks and threatened me with knives. he hurt my neck with a cord. sometimes, i'd cry. i'd cry because i was locked up, and i couldn't do a thing about it.

i had sex with him so he wouldn't beat me. he hit me really hard. i wanted him to stop. narrator: many girls and women in guatemala share maria elsa's fate. the sisters at the barbara ford peace center try to help rape victims. some of these girls are only 10 years old. the official number of rapes in guatemala is 10,000 a year, but doctors without borders says the number of unreported cases is far higher. women and girls are mostly raped by close relatives, neighbors, and boyfriends. sister searing: when i think of how young girls, young women here in this country, especially

in quiché, i could cry, i think i could cry now. when you think how, really, they are treated like animals. narrator: sister virginia searing blames the prevalence of sexual abuse in guatemala on the decades of civil war in the country. women have been systematically abused, tortured, and humiliated. men are still very rarely called to answer for crimes they've committed against women. sister searing: the attitude of most men. and this is passed out to their children to their sons and even to some of the girls. who just have this image that they have a right to disrespect a woman. they hav a -- have a right to take advantage of a woman. narrator: maria elsa suffered months of abuse. then she found out she was

pregnant. maria: when i was pregnant with my baby girl, i worried the most. he kicked me repeatedly in the stomach. narrator: when maria elsa's father found out she was being abused, he came and brought her back home. many rape victims become pregnant. 1/4 of all children in guatemala are born to a teenage mother. the staff at santa elena national hospital in quiché are alarmed. salomon: we are very concerned at the extent of pregnancy among underaged girls. narrator: maria elsa went to the police, but so far they've done nothing. narrator: violence against women -- it's widespread in india,

too. what can be done to combat it? indian society needs a new mindset. it needs to question clichés. it's a herculean task for the whole of society. narrator: the chandannagar slum on the outskirts of pune in india. 16-year-old amol kasbe grew up here. recently he's learned to see the district through a different lens. amol: many men here drink and gamble. they abuse women. domestic violence is common. they're a bad influence on young boys growing up here. boys imitate older men. they pick up cues like men are strong and macho, women are weak and emotional. it's difficult to get away from that. narrator: difficult but not impossible. the equal community foundation organizes weekly gender training for boys between the ages of 13 and 16. the topic today is gender norms and what constitutes "feminine" and "masculine" behavior. these frank discussions range

from sex, power, and control to gender, discrimination, violence, and sexuality. amol kasbe took the course two years ago. cofounder will muir says the program is designed to get boys thinking about their own behavior. will: the way you change someone's attitude is you help them reflect on facts and observations that they've made. and what our program does is it provides a safe space for boys to learn facts about these issues and consider them in the context of their own lives. narrator: much of life in chandannagar takes place outdoors. women often work in the street here. and they are often subject to verbal harassment from men. girls grow up under male tyranny. amol: sometimes groups of young

men hang around and harass girls in the community. they make lewd and hurtful comments. i used to just listen and not say anything. but now if that happens, i go up to them and say "what if that girl were your sister?" i explain to them why it's not cool to do that. narrator: here in the slum, most of the housework is done by the women. but why is that? amol discusses that question with other boys. and local women are gradually sensing a change. sangita: my son never used to listen to me. he was rude. but now there's a big change in him. he actually helps with all the housework, he talks politely to me. and when he steps out, he doesn't harass girls. narrator: amol kasbe himself has also changed a lot, his mother says. she's very proud of him. he talks a lot about the need for mutual respect, and that's altered the atmosphere at home.

amol: i've noticed that some girls are very submissive to men. they dress and behave exactly as the men in the house want. these girls believe they can't change their situation. i want to change that mentality so that they become aware of their rights. i want to empower boys and girls. that would take gender equality to a whole new level. narrator: amol kasbe still attends school, but he'd like to go on to study psychology and form an organization of his own. a organization, he says, that will include girls. narrator: the un campaign heforshe also calls on men to fight for women's rights. actress emma watson is the un women goodwill ambassador. emma: you're not going to get

rid of me until i get to see an equal number of female prime ministers and presidents and ceo's and more men that actually feel like it is ok to express how they really feel about things. and more fathers that are present in their children's lives. narrator: watson is seeking male supporters for this cause across the globe. equal opportunities for boys and girls how do you convey this to young people? take uganda, where 1/2 the population are under 15, which makes rap music a pretty good way to get your message across. girls don't do. i climb trees. i can somersault. i can dance this break-dance. narrator: uganda's youngest

female rapper is 14 and goes by the name of mc loy. she's become a star in her country, regularly rapping the news on uganda's ntv. narrator: the weekly voice recording in a production company is followed by a tv studio session. this modern news format is designed to reach young people who don't normally watch the news. >> despite concern that the bill might hurt the economy and send tobacco farmers back to poverty. mc loy: making them to get to know what is happening in the country, abroad and so on, that really helps them to know what's going on in the world. 'cause if you live in the world and you know nothing about what is happening, then you may find yourself in a bad thing or a problem or so on. narrator: that often happens to people in her generation. half the population is under 15. facebook and whatsapp predominate here. young people would rather listen to music than to the news. so, what better way is there to

reach them than to bring the message across with music? zoe kabuye, that's her real name, buys newspapers as often as she can. what bothers her is that not everyone can go to school in uganda. mc loy, a.k.a. zoe kabuye: that's part of child abuse, not taking a kid to school. i wouldn't blame parents who don't have money to take children to school. i would only blame the government, which doesn't build the infrastructure for the kids, and schools. yeah. narrator: her desire to remove fear and instill courage motivates her to teach kids at sunday school. mc loy: you will hold a son in your arms. well, she has no son and her husband is old.

narrator: education for all, no more corruption. she has even put her demands to the president, rapping them, of course. mc loy: [rapping] ♪ yes, i am proud to be a ugandan living in the beautiful motherland the pearl of africa that grows every day and night with hospitals an education system and so much more but we need some more and i want to be the first female president of my country, uganda the pearl of africa ♪ mc loy: that was it! thank you very much! i made him know that i want to be. so, he should just get prepared for mc loy, who'll be in his seat someday! narrator: according to the constitution, she has to wait until she's 35 to run for president, leaving her plenty of time to get the word out to all her young fans in uganda. how many appointed heads of state or government are actually women? not many. only 17 of the 193 un member states have women in the top office. for many women in leadership positions, it's not easy to reconcile family and work commitments.

despite the government's efforts and more day care in germany, it's still hard for women to get to the top. so, children or career? narrator: professor maren harmann was supposed to be at university today. but the kindergarten she uses is closed, so she's working from home. someone has to stay home and look after the children. fortunately, her partner holger schulze is here and can help out. he has a professorship in copenhagen and has to spend three days a week away from home, a challenging situation for everyone involved. professor hartmann: i've often thought about whether it would be better to cut back or do something else. those thoughts only really start once you've had children. but there's also the fact that i really love my job and i don't want to stop working. so, i have to live with my

guilty conscience and with the chaos that regularly ensues. i just have to cope. narrator: hartmann works whenever her home life allows. that's the only way she can balance kids, teaching, and research. prof. hartmann: working evenings at home is very important so i can organize everything, because i have to pick up the kids in the afternoon. so, once they're in bed, i work until 11:00 p.m. or so at night. narrator: the couple's day begins before 6:00 a.m. when he's home, holger takes care of the kids and the housework. that allows his partner to keep appointments in the evenings or on the weekend. they're crucial if she's to pursue her career in germany. prof. schulze: many people think that only men can pursue a

career and women can only have a part-time job because they're supposed to take care of the household and the children. i think that's silly. i think people in germany are too extreme in their views of motherhood. it's different in other countries. narrator: in denmark, where holger works, it's common practice for men to leave the workplace at 5:00 p.m. if they have to pick up their kids. business meetings are scheduled to end earlier. germany is different. professor hartmann is going in to work at her institute. she has a series of meetings with co-workers. and she has to give lectures, do research, and publish. prof. hartmann: in job interviews, i've been asked what i've been doing over the past three years, and i've been told that it's less than my male

competitors. and when i say that i had children during those years, the response is, "and? so what?" narrator: whether it's in universities or companies, attitudes like that pressure young women into choosing between kids and careers. karin: actually most women in this situation say that it's a massive challenge. and the pressure is increased even more because they have to act as if there's no conflict. there's always this assumption that you'll be able to find time for all your commitments. narrator: in the afternoon, professor hartmann finds time for her children. but as soon as they go to sleep at night, she's back at her desk. prof. hartmann: i personally wouldn't have it any other way.

but it's only since i've had kids that i understand emotionally why some women don't want any. if you really want to build a career, that combination isn't great. narrator: women pursuing careers in ramallah a rarity? clichés need debunking in the arab world as well. a palestinian woman wants to change mindsets in her community with a radio station. it means travelling through the palestinian areas of the west bank every day. her project received an award from the schwab foundation.

maysoun: 15 minutes. yeah, to go through this, we need 15 minutes. narrator: maysoun odeh gangat gets impatient with security checks in jerusalem, but she'd never leave the city. the palestinian journalist was born here. every day she makes the 20-kilometer trip to work in ramallah in the west bank. sometimes she has to wait an hour at the checkpoint. gangat has started a radio station called nisaa fm. it's the only commercial radio station aimed at women in the arab world. in many arab countries, women theoretically enjoy equal rights with men, but many women regularly complain about sexism and discrimination. the reality of women in her homeland is not what many think, gangat says, so it's important for women's voices to be heard.

maysoun: there is a very wrong impression of arab women and possibly palestinian women specifically. there is this stereotype image, that an arab woman is uneducated and she is, like, subject to abuse and violence and her rights are not fulfilled. i believe this is wrong. firstly, we are very educated. palestinian women have degrees in various fields. they -- lots of them have finished higher degrees also, like masters and phds. and it's normal. narrator: the host of the station's morning show is a trained journalist. 10 women and two men work for nisaa fm. the broadcaster aims to bring men and women together, not stir up confrontations, but it does broach taboo subjects. maysoun: a taboo issue could be for example abortion in our society. we do have it on air, we talk

about it. but how we handle it is a little bit like, we are not going toexpress our opinion that we nisaa fm are in favor of that. we create a discussion between religious scholars, psychologists, or doctors on that issue. narrator: the reporters try to include men's views. about 1/2 of the station's listeners are men. the station also focuses on the economic problems in the region. life is constantly getting more expensive, these men say. almost one in five people are unemployed. and teachers have been on strike for the past four weeks. this reporter says women are accepted here in public, but things are different in the countryside. tahreer: i was recently in the jordan valley, far away from ramallah. i interviewed women there. their situation is really bad. whether it was education, culture, or the economy, they were controlled by men.

narrator: the radio station doesn't just report on rigid, traditional constraints. it also features success stories involving palestinian women. the broadcaster avoids the political conflict between israelis and palestinians, but it's always on gangat's mind. maysoun: i am sitting here and my son is in jerusalem. my husband and i are working in another city. it's also very worrying. especially after things that started happening. like, i would leave him and i am scared. will i know that i will go back to jerusalem that day? maybe the israelis close the whole city. and then what's going to happen to the boy? narrator: gangat says being confined makes it difficult for palestinians to get an education, find new jobs, and start businesses. but that's all she's saying on the topic. gangat is wary. she and her husband were once sent to prison shortly after founding the station. so, does she think women and men differ in politics? maysoun: i believe that a woman

leader would have more empathy, possibly to some issues, would have more sensitivity and feelings. so, yes, a woman touch in politics could add value in my opinion. narrator: and not just there. gangat hopes her radio station will increase women's influence in all areas of society. narrator: and now to our " global living room" series. ♪ >> hi, my name is natascha. i am from serbia. welcome to my beautiful town, my belgrade. it is the capital of serbia. and now come with me. i am going to show you my house.

this is my living room. i am living here with my kids, my husband, and our animals. and this is the place we spend most of our time together, watching tv, playing some games. this is a fairly say -- this is our family saint, it's st. stephan. this is the day on january 9 that we are coming together and it's very nice. it's the working part of my

living room, so come on in. here is my craft room where i like to paint or to do my figures. or to do many things here. most of the time i am here and listening what my family is doing there. this is my dog, meme. she is cute, but she is dangerous. [laughter] so, guys, thank you for being here. next time if you come to belgrade, call me and we have fun in town! bye-bye.

see you. narrator: and next week on "global 3000." we'll meet another brave woman, this time from pakistan. parveen bibi causes a stir wherever she goes because she's one of the first women to drive a rickshaw. her male colleagues are less than enthusiastic about this. many believe women shouldn't be part of public life. but she is not going to let anyone tell her how to provide for her family. what's gender equality like in your country? what works well, and what doesn't? write to us either on facebook or via email to global3000@dw.com. and that was our special program for international women's day this week. see you next time on "global 3000." [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

[rock music] (male narrator) memphis, tennessee. it has been written if music were religion that memphis would be jerusalem and sun studio, its most sacred shrine. and you are here with jason d. williams. - hey, what's happenin' out there? this is old jason d. williams. we're at sun studio, the great recording. today we had a great show. on the guitar, i had ron ace norton. he's really great. "popcorn" james irving on the drums. one drum.. two drums. we had mr. rodney williams polk.