With related literature discuss the trend of early marriage on the world level and African level in tow detailed paragraphs with references

Early marriage, also known as child marriage, is a global issue that has seen a declining trend over the years but still remains prevalent in many parts of the world. According to UNICEF (2018), approximately 650 million girls and women alive today were married before their 18th birthday. The highest rates of early marriage are seen in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. However, the global trend shows a decline in early marriages over the past decade. The percentage of women who were married as children decreased from 25% in 2000 to 21% in 2018 (UNICEF, 2018). Despite this progress, the total number of girls married in childhood stands at 12 million per year, and without further acceleration in progress, more than 150 million additional girls will marry before their 18th birthday by 2030 (UNICEF, 2018).

In Africa, the trend of early marriage is more pronounced. According to Girls Not Brides (2018), 12 of the 20 countries with the highest rates of child marriage are in Africa. Niger has the highest rate of early marriage in the world with 76% of girls married before 18. However, there is progress being made. Ethiopia, for example, has cut its rate of early marriage by a third in the last 10 years through a combination of community mobilization, law enforcement, and support for girls' education (Girls Not Brides, 2018). Despite these efforts, the African Union reports that if current trends continue, Africa will have the highest number of child brides in the world by 2050.

References: UNICEF. (2018). Child marriage: Latest trends and future prospects. Retrieved from https://data.unicef.org/resources/child-marriage-latest-trends-and-future-prospects/ Girls Not Brides. (2018). Child marriage in Africa. Retrieved from https://www.girlsnotbrides.org/region/africa/