Spectators in fancy dress during Day 7 of The Championships – Wimbledon 2019 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 8, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Reuters)

A unidentified woman protests at Broad Street for the pending arrival of Vice President Mike Pence at the Union League, in Philadelphia, Monday, July 23, 2018. Dozens of demonstrators dressed as characters from the novel-turned-TV series “The Handmaid's Tale” descended on downtown Philadelphia to protest Pence’s visit. (Photo by Jose F. Moreno/The Philadelphia Inquirer via 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)

A man checks his footing as he wades through the Morris Canal Outlet in Jersey City, N.J., as the sun sets on the lower Manhattan skyline of New York City, Tuesday, May 31, 2022. (Photo by J. David Ake/AP Photo)

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt takes questions during her first daily briefing at the White House in Washington on January 28, 2025. (Photo by Carlos Barria/Reuters)

Benfica's Turkish midfielder #10 Orkun Kokcu celebrates after scoring their third goal during the UEFA Champions League knockout phase play-off second leg football match between SL Benfica and AS Monaco at Luz stadium in Lisbon on February 18, 2025. (Photo by Filipe Amorim/AFP Photo)

In this picture taken on October 27, 2019 lightening strikes on a building during a thunderstorm in Bangkok. (Photo by Mladen Antonov/AFP Photo)

A Malaysian Royal Guard wears a protective mask while he stands guard outside National Palace, following the outbreak of a new coronavirus in China, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, February 10, 2020. (Photo by Lim Huey Teng/Reuters)