Giving Compass' Take:

• Catherine Caruso explains that Sitara: Let Girls Dream depicts the harms of child marriage through a narrative about a young Pakistani girl. 

• What is the role of popular media in shifting perspectives on child marriage? 

• Learn about the economic impacts of child marriage. 

Sitara: Let Girls Dream tells the story of more than 12 million girls around the world in developing and developed countries, who are forced into child marriage every year. Globally, 1 in 5 girls are married before they reach the age of 18, and in some countries this number more than doubles. Between 2000 and 2010, more than 250,000 child brides were registered in the US, and at least 20 states allow children under 18 to marry without the consent of a parent or guardian, according to Yasmeen Hassan, the global executive director of Equality Now.

Child marriage poses a serious threat to the health and safety of millions of young girls by limiting their prospects and forcing them into motherhood at an early age, which can increase the risk of complications during pregnancy, according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Child brides are also more likely to drop out of school, experience domestic violence, and have low economic prospects.

Read the full article about Sitara: Let Girls Dream by Catherine Caruso at Global Citizen.