Despite international agreements and national laws, marriage of girls <18 years of age is common worldwide and affects millions. Child marriage is a human rights violation that prevents girls from obtaining an education, enjoying optimal health, bonding with others their own age, maturing, and ultimately choosing their own life partners. Child marriage is driven by poverty and has many effects on girls' health: increased risk for sexually transmitted diseases, cervical cancer, malaria, death during childbirth, and obstetric fistulas. Girls' offspring are at increased risk for premature birth and death as neonates, infants, or children. To stop child marriage, policies and programs must educate communities, raise awareness, engage local and religious leaders, involve parents, and empower girls through education and employment.

Awareness of reproductive health issues in developing nations is growing. Critical issues are the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS among young people; childbearing by young girls, which can lead to obstetric fistulas and death of the mother; and child marriage.

Child marriage, defined as marriage of a child <18 years of age, is an ancient, worldwide custom. Other terms applied to child marriage include "early marriage" and "child brides." Early marriage is vague and does not necessarily refer to children. Moreover, what is early for one person may be late for another. Child bride seems to glorify the process, implying a celebration and a bride who is happy to start a loving union with her spouse. But for the most part, girl brides do not know--and may have never met--their groom.

Poverty plays a central role in perpetuating child marriage. Parents want to ensure their daughters' financial security; however, daughters are considered an economic burden. Feeding, clothing, and educating girls is costly, and girls will eventually leave the household. A family's only way to recover its investment in a daughter may be to have her married in exchange for a dowry. In some countries, the dowry decreases as the girl gets older, which may tempt parents to have their daughters married at younger ages. These are not necessarily heartless parents but, rather, parents who are surviving under heartless conditions. Additionally, child marriages form new alliances between tribes, clans, and villages; reinforce social ties; and stabilize vital social status.

Another study explored why married girls in Kenya and Zambia had a higher risk for HIV infection. This study concluded that because married girls are under intense pressure to prove their fertility, they have more unprotected intercourse. The study also found that husbands were substantially older (5-14 years) than their wives and were 30% more likely than boyfriends of single girls to be HIV infected. Because of their age alone, the husbands had already had numerous sex partners. Additionally, in these areas of Africa, polygamy is common.

In some countries, child marriage has been declining. Increasing mean age for marriage often results in part from overall advancement of an economy. In some countries, such as Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand, decreasing poverty effectively decreased child marriage by enabling these countries to improve education, increase employment, and provide better health care for the whole nation. Education is a key factor for delaying first sexual activity, pregnancy, marriage, and childbearing. Programs that specifically focused on the status of girls may have directly or indirectly reduced the number of child marriages. Successful programs have provided economic and educational opportunities to young women and their families by employing girls with the specific goal of delaying marriage (40), giving families financial incentives to keep their daughters in school (1), or feeding children during school to decrease families' expenses. Keeping girls in school or vocational training not only helps protect them from HIV infection, pregnancy, illness, and death but also enhances their earning potential and socioeconomic status. Educated girls can contribute to the health and welfare of their family and marry men of their own choosing and age.

Lack of enforcement renders laws against child marriage ineffective. Through media campaigns and educational outreach programs, governments need to take responsibility for stopping this practice. Local, regional, and national governments can also implement health outreach programs for girls and boys. Learning about reproductive and sexual health, STD prevention, contraception, AIDS, and how to seek health care helps girls negotiate safer sex. Governments must incorporate preventive and treatment programs for reproductive health issues into their health services. Necessary preventive services include supplying mosquito netting and condoms; educating patients about contraceptive methods; providing diagnostic screening for HIV and HPV; and offering treatment options such as medications, cesarean sections, and postpartum care.

Ending child marriage requires a multifaceted approach focused on the girls, their families, the community, and the government. Culturally appropriate programs that provide families and communities with education and reproductive health services can help stop child marriage, early pregnancies, and illness and death in young mothers and their children.

Once a huge contributor to children's apparel's total revenue, the holiday season isn't the guaranteed annuity it once was for merchants. Yet fashion, a return to "traditional" values and an added active twist have retailers encouraged.

In the mass market, kids merchandisers are positive on holiday. "Dressy sportswear will increase as opulence makes a comeback," says Michele Jasukaitis, spokeswoman for the Kmart fashion buyers.

"We are optimistic," concurs Sandy Sansavera, senior vice president and general merchandise manager at Ames. "While we have not put a number on it, our seasonal recap last year pointed to numerous areas for growth." In particular, he points to dressy sportswear: "We will be able to realize a nice increase in our girls' business."

This opinion is shared at mall-based kidswear retailer The Children's Place, where Mary Amicucci, merchandise manager, says her stores are committed to power presentations for holiday, with full-size ranges across all key items. Her overall outlook: Kids holiday business will be up. The 600-unit specialty chain itself is in the midst of an ambitious expansion, including its first entry into Canada.

Vendors, too, are optimistic.

Charles Becker, executive director of marketing and licensing at Millennium Apparel Group, believes that the fashion cycle is the all-important factor for 2002, and will carry through from back-to-school. "It will remain steady because the line between fall and holiday gets thinner and thinner due to fashion trends."

At Haddad Apparel Group, a key supplier to mass, the mid-tier and specialty chains, principal Sam Haddad reports, "retailers have a good outlook for the second half" of 2002, including holiday.

"We see the business up for holiday, especially in girls," remarks Nicole Pena, director of design and merchandising at French Toast, noting that many retailers are demanding "not-too-dressy sportswear."

This resource is responding with denim featuring ringspun, and color-sandblasted finishes.

These will be complemented with peasant tops set off by rouging, ribbons and bows, lace overlays and appliques, pin-on lace flower corsages and ruffles galore. Such tops also work with glitter-strewn bottoms of nylon, fleece and corduroy.

"V" stands for "victory" and for this holiday season that also can mean "velour," a sentiment to be supported in stores, ranging from Ames in the mass channel to The Children's Place in the specialty tier. Another vital tactic in holiday merchandising: Present and promote the outfit.

For dressy, Amicucci says, think picture-taking. "The key to dressy is the outfit, with issues, such as a nice sweater set in novelty yarn with a skirt." Keeping fashion in the forefront, Amicucci will carefully spice up the girls' sportswear mix.

The palette will center on traditional winter white, reds and blacks, set off by touches of navy and green; details range from velour and rhinestones to fur and animal-print trims.

"This is not 'uptight dressy' at all," says The Children's Place merchandise manager David Sillery, noting that a customer can choose to wear a khaki pant and sweater over a flannel shirt (poplin in warmer markets) or substitute a graphic T-shirt for a looser look. Alternately, 10 colors of turtleneck are offered. Twills and corduroy will complement the assortment.

"We will be very traditional, taking a calm, family-oriented approach to the dressy line," he observes, ticking off the color schemes of "red, navy, spruce green and rich browns, blacks and khakis."

Even with dressier looks catching on, volume will no doubt be greatest in the casual zone, where merchandisers plan to capitalize on holiday with more coordinated presentations. "It's not character, jeans or other licensed apparel, but generic dressing that can be layered to go either direction," suggests Sansavera. "We'll try to get the total concept across in store signing and marketing."

Shoppers at The Children's Place will be clued-in by color--yellows, oranges, bright blues in boys. In girls' casual, fashion will lead with "turk blue and fire red" setting off corduroys and novelty denims, says Amicucci. Tops will offer plenty of options, including zipper and triple-needle details, T-shirts with whimsical screens, more color latitude in sweaters, and monochrome or multicolor piping and taping on T-shirts and pants.

As usual, one source of childrenswear inspiration will be styles that trickle down.

Some of the newer treatments in denim that are sweeping through juniors' and young men's departments are providing a solid business in girls and boys, says Haddad. Ames is winning with this strategy, particularly in blasted denim for girls and sports-active influences for boys. The Children's Place is working fleece in a similar vein.

Sweaters also will be hot in kids, especially "the mock-neck, which will be a key silhouette," Sillery says.