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)

Firefighters attempt to put out a fire at an abandoned building with the protection of St. Louis City Police in St. Louis, Missouri August 19, 2015. Police fatally shot a black man they say pointed a gun at them, drawing angry crowds and recalling the racial tensions sparked by the killing of an unarmed African-American teen in nearby Ferguson, Missouri, just over a year ago. (Photo by Lawrence Bryant/Reuters)

People celebrate outside the Pennsylvania Convention Center after Democrat Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump to become 46th president of the United States, Saturday, November 7, 2020, in Philadelphia. (Photo by Rebecca Blackwell/AP Photo)

Rebecca Luo stands in a casket that was being used for people to take photographs during the International Edgar Allan Poe Festival and Awards on Sunday October 03, 2021 in Baltimore, MD. The writer died in Baltimore in 1849. His death is still clouded in mystery.(Photo by Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

A 40-foot sculpture of the swimmer Rebecca Adlington was unveiled at the Serpentine in London’s Hyde Park on July 25, 2016 to launch a campaign by Kelloggs to encourage the public to support Team GB at the Rio Olympics. (Photo by David Parry/PA Wire/Barcroft Images)

A competitor takes part in the 31st World Bog Snorkelling Championships, held annually at Llanwrtyd Wells in Wales, Britain August 28, 2016. Entrants must negotiate two lengths of a 60-yard trench through the peat bog in the quickest possible time without using any conventional swimming strokes. (Photo by Rebecca Naden/Reuters)

Charlotte FC goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina deflects a shot by Inter Miami forward Leonardo Campana during the second half of an MLS soccer match, Wednesday, October 18, 2023, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Photo by Rebecca Blackwell/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)