Bring Back Our Girls! Anne Hathaway takes to the streets of LA with a megaphone to raise awareness of kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls

It was Angelina Jolie who first brought into focus the plight of 276 kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls.

And on Thursday, Anne Hathaway took to the streets of Los Angeles to raise awareness for the cause.

Grabbing a megaphone, the 31-year-old took up the cry and rallied the crowd that followed her.

Getting involved! Anne Hathaway, 31, joined a rally to campaign for the release of 276 kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls in Los Angeles on Thursday

Joined by husband Adam Shulman, Anne brandished a heart-shaped placard towards cars on one of LA's busy streets.

The sign read 'Bring Back Our Girls,' referring to the 276 schoolgirls recently kidnapped by an Islamic terror group known as Boko Haram or Western Education Is Sinful.

Clearly having put careful thought into her message, the Les Miserables star accented her outift with African-inspired patterns on her scarf and shoulder bag.

Support: Anne was joined by husband Adam Shulman and the pair held placards appealing for the return of the kidnapped girls

Doing her bit: The Les Miserables star was raising awareness for the Bring Back Our Girls campaign

And it's not just Anne who is trying to put the fate of these young girls in the spotlight.

While in Paris promoting her latest film Malificent, Angelina Jolie told Agence France-Presse: 'The kidnapping of these young Nigerian girls is an unthinkable cruelty. Sadly, of course, there is real evil in the world. You watch the news and you see all of the people suffering and so much cruelty.'

Kim Kardashian described the situation as 'heartbreaking' and posted an Instagram picture detailing the issue, while her sister Kourtney and their mother Kris Jenner also tweeted in support. 

Comedienne Amy Poehler and British singer Leona Lewis shared pictures of themselves holding signs baring the now popular hashtag '#Bring Back Our Girls.'

Sending a message: The actress grabbed the megaphone and roused the crowd that rallied behind her

TV presenter Alexa Chung scrawled the message in lipstick across a mirror as a show of solidarity.

Even Michelle Obama took to Twitter, sharing a picture of herself holding up a piece of white paper with the words in bold black letters.

However, although praised by many, the First Lady came under fire for the gesture, with some branding her move frivolous. 

One Twitter follower tweeted: '@FLOTUS Nice. Are we doing anything as a world-wide community besides all this sign-holding?