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 woman walks while carrying pineapples on her head on a street in Kampala, Uganda on January 12, 2021. (Photo by Baz Ratner/Reuters)

People participate in the annual “No Pants Subway Ride” in New York City, U.S., January 12, 2020. (Photo by Brendan McDermid/Reuters)

A resident brings his dog that uses a mask in Jakarta, Indonesia, on May 12, 2020. (Photo by Jefta Images/Barcroft Media via Getty Images)

Afghan boys play soccer in Chaman-e-Hozori park in Kabul City, on November 12, 2021. (Photo by Hector Retamal/AFP Photo)

A participant takes part in a high heel race to protest in favor of gender equality in Monterrey, Mexico on May 12, 2019. (Photo by Daniel Becerril/Reuters)

A soldier eats ice cream as she visits a zoo in Pyongyang, North Korea, September 12, 2018. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui/Reuters)

A women sits on the south rim of Grand Canyon National Park in northern Arizona, April 12, 2015. (Photo by Jim Urquhart/Reuters)