Dale Steil wears face paint and lights before Game 5 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Thursday, May 29, 2025, in Dallas. (Photo by Gareth Patterson/AP Photo)

An employee of the National Park Service takes a selfie with President Barack Obama, left, in the background meeting with the crowd after a tour of Everglades National Park on Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22, 2015, in Florida. Obama used the visit to warn of the damage that climate change is already inflicting on the nation's environmental treasures. (Photo by Lynne Sladky/AP Photo)

As the world marks the International Day of the Girl Child, women's rights activists point to progress on a wide array of issues but say more needs to be done to protect girls from child marriage, sexual assault and other forms of exploitation. Here is a selection of pictures showing the daily lives of girls across the globe, all taken by female Associated Press photojournalists. Here: In this December 14, 2015, file photo, a young clown rides in the back of a car following a procession to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. Hundreds belonging to various clown associations made their annual pilgrimage to the Basilica to pay their respects to the Virgin of Guadalupe, Mexico's patron saint. (Photo by Rebecca Blackwell/AP Photo)

Jakelyne Oliveira, Miss Brazil 2013 performs onstage during the Miss Universe 2013 preliminary competition in Moscow, Russia, 05 November 2013. The final of the 2013 Miss Universe Pageant will take place at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow on 09 November. (Photo by Sergei Ilnitsky/EPA)

School teachers and staff members take part during an active shooter training at James I. O'Neill High School in Highland Falls, New York, U.S., December 12, 2017. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

Lindsey Vonn of USA wins the bronze medal during the FIS World Ski Championships Women's Downhill on February 10, 2019 in Are Sweden. (Photo by Leonhard Foeger/Reuters)

People enjoying the races on a wet day at Chester Racecourse on May 12, 2017 in Chester, England. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images)

Rescuers carry an injured passenger on stretcher at Soshigaya Okura Station after stabbing on a commuter train, in Tokyo Friday night, August 6, 2021. A man with a knife attacked 10 passengers on a commuter train in Tokyo on Friday and was arrested by police after fleeing, fire department officials and news reports said. (Photo by Kyodo News via AP Photo)