Jane Howorth from national charity the British Hen Welfare Trust holds Liberty the last ex-battery hen to be rehomed on December 29, 2011 in Chulmleigh, England. The rehoming of Liberty signifies the end of the small battery hen cage, which has been phased out and replaced by enriched cages in preparation of the European Union directive banning the smaller cages from January 1, 2012. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

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)

Park Ji-soo of South Korea performs her contemporary variation during the final of the 43rd Prix de Lausanne at the Beaulieu Theatre in Lausanne February 7, 2015. The Prix de Lausanne is an annual international dance competition for dancers aged 15 to 18. A total of 67 participants from 18 countries were selected from 300 applicants to take part in this year's week-long competition, from which the jury has shortlisted 20 finalists to compete for Saturday's finals. Six of this year's finalists will be awarded a one-year all expenses paid scholarship at one of the Prix de Lausanne's partner schools or companies, among the most prestigious in the world. (Photo by Denis Balibouse/Reuters)

Now celebrating its 40th year, Nikon Small World is widely regarded as the leading forum to recognize proficiency and photographic excellence of photography taken under the microscope. To select the winners, competition judges analyzed entries from all over the world covering subjects ranging from chemical compounds to up-close-and-personal looks at biological specimens. The 2014 winners will be revealed on October 30th. In 2014, the competition received over 1,200 entries from more than 79 countries around the world. (Photo by Dr. Igor Robert Siwanowicz/Nikon Small World 2014)

A Catholic priest blesses a grave, marking All Saints' Day as the people stand next to monument partially destroyed by an old fallen tree at a cemetery in the village of Zubkovo, 150 km (93 miles) west of Minsk, Belarus, Wednesday, November 1, 2017. Belarusian Catholics marked All Saints Day by visiting graves of their relatives. (Photo by Sergei Grits/AP Photo)

People in costume take photos during a Halloween event on October 31, 2015 in Lan Kwai Fong, Central District, Hong Kong. Halloween, a named taken from 'All Hallows' Even' falls on the day before All Saints' Day on November 1, a holiday when Christians remember their deceased loved ones. (Photo by Jerome Favre/Getty Images)

2016 Rio Olympics, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Final, Individual All-Around Final, Rotation 1, Rio Olympic Arena, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on August 20, 2016. Melitina Staniouta (BLR) of Belarus competes using the hoop. (Photo by Ruben Sprich/Reuters)

A voodoo believer, dressed as "Gede", a spirit of voodoo, sits on the cross of Baron Samdi during celebrations at the cemetery of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, November 1, 2016. Voodoo believers and devotees offer candles, alcohol and food. The Day of the Dead is celebrated on the first two days of November during All Saints and All Souls Day. (Photo by Andres Martinez Casares/Reuters)