A clown checks her phone as she waits outside the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, in Mexico City, Monday, December 14, 2015. Hundreds of clowns belonging to various clown associations made their annual pilgrimage to the Basilica on Monday to pay their respects to the Virgin of Guadalupe, Mexico's patron saint. (Photo by Rebecca Blackwell/AP Photo)

A clown performs next to the Monument to the Revolution as he takes part in the Latin American Clown Convention in Mexico City, Mexico, October 21, 2015. The convention will be held from October 19 to 22 in Mexico City. (Photo by Henry Romero/Reuters)

A Salvadorean clown going by the name of “Almohadita” poses during National Clown Day celebrations at Beethoven Square in San Salvador December 3, 2014. The Salvadorean congress declared the second Wednesday of December as National Clown Day to honour all Salvadorean clowns in their efforts to bring fun to the country, reported local media. (Photo by Jose Cabezas/Reuters)

Clowns pose for a picture during the International Clown Day in Guadalajara, Mexico, on December 10, 2019. (Photo by Ulises Ruiz/AFP Photo)

Mexican clown Gabriela Munoz, whose clown name is Chula the Clown, looks at herself in the mirror after putting on her make up during an interview in Mexico City, Friday, August 26, 2022. (Photo by Berenice Bautista/AP Photo)

In this July 20, 2018 photo, Joshep Balta, a clown named “Cachupito”, peers through the tent curtain to see how many people are waiting for the show, put on by the International Circus, set up in the shanty town of Puente Piedra on the outskirts of Lima, Peru. Balta, a 12-year old clown whose parents work at the circus setting up and breaking down the encampment, was discovered by the circus two years ago when he was performing as a clown at street corners. (Photo by Martin Mejia/AP Photo)

A Salvadoran clown is seen wearing colorful clothes and face make-up during the parade within the framework of the National Salvadoran Clown Day that is celebrated on the first Wednesday of every December by legislative decree in San Salvador, El Salvador on December 07, 2022. After the pandemic crisis, dozens of Salvadoran clowns took to the streets to celebrate their day, and invite families to respect the work of bringing smiles to children and adults in El Salvador. (Photo by Alex Pena/Anadolu Agency via 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)