Anthony Joshua, right, knocks down Andy Ruiz during the third round of a heavyweight championship boxing match Saturday, June 1, 2019, in New York. Ruiz won in the seventh round. (Photo by Frank Franklin II/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)

N.C. Dezendorf, wife of the general manager of the Electro-Motive division of General Motors, christens the new lightweight “Aerotrain” at the company's locomotive works in La Grange, Ill. on August 22, 1955. (Photo by Edward Kitch/AP Photo)

The Rockettes perform at the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony in New York, US on November 30, 2021. (Photo by Ralph Bavaro/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

Nicole Scherzinger at the “The X Factor” TV show, Series 14, Episode 15, Judges' Houses in Sun City, South Africa on October 21, 2017. (Photo by Dymond/Thames/Syco/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Paris Jackson arrives at the Calvin Klein Collection fashion show during New York Fashion Week at New York Stock Exchange on February 13, 2018. (Photo by Ouzounova/Splash News and Pictures)

On the second straight day of record-setting temperatures, Maddy Hacker is hoisted up by friend Jasmine Harper, both of McLean, Virgnia, as they attempt an acrobatic stunt in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., February 21, 2018. (Photo by Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

A man smokes a marijuana cigarette to celebrate 420, in Times Square amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in New York City, New York, U.S., April 20, 2021. (Photo by Carlo Allegri/Reuters)