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)

In this November 3, 2015 file photo, Afghan Taliban fighters listen to Mullah Mohammed Rasool, the newly-elected leader of a breakaway faction of the Taliban, in Farah province, Afghanistan. Despite US President Donald Trump’s pronouncement that there would be no talks with the Taliban following a series of deadly attacks in Kabul, officials say talks continue, but neither side trusts the other and neither believes the other negotiates independently. (Photo by AP Photo/Stringer)

In this September 27, 2017 file photo, girls walk past a wall riddled with bullet holes from shootings between rival drug traffickers, at the Rocinha slum, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Violence is on the rise in Rio's slums after several years of decline, and the killings of kids have shocked even residents long inured to deaths from gangs and police. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP Photo)

«Underwater». Laurie Simmons discovered this silicone sеx doll in a shop while on holiday in Japan and was immediately interested in the type of generic beauty their looks could add to her work. She went on to create the Love Doll series, in which she places silicone sеx dolls in positions that explore a woman’s interior life. (Photo by Laurie Simmons/Salon 94/The Guardian)

Christina Careaga (R) and Hannah Thielmann kiss as they celebrate during the Gay Pride parade on June 26, 2011 in New York City. The parade took on extra significance following Friday night's legalization of same-s*x marriage in New York, often regarded as the birthplace of the gay rights movement. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Life-size sеx dolls are displayed during the 2016 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on January 20, 2016 in Las Vegas, United States. (Photo by Gabe Ginsberg/FilmMagic)

In this photo taken Monday, March 5, 2018, s*x worker Irene sits in her brothel in Juba, South Sudan. As World Women's Day is to be marked across the globe and women across much of the Western world have galvanized around the #MeToo movement, South Sudan remains a place where women face grinding difficulties and rights experts say most women remain voiceless. (Photo by AP Photo/Stringer)