A fire dancer makes a heart shape at the Bealtaine fire festival, marking the beginning of summer at the Hill of Uisneach in Rathnew, Ireland, on May 10, 2025. (Photo by Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters)

A trio poses for a photo in front of the art installation Surrender (Flag) by John Gerrard of Ireland displayed in a courtyard of the Palacio de San Francisco, as part of the first art biennial in Bogota, Colombia, Tuesday, September 23, 2025. (Photo by Fernando Vergara/AP Photo)

A worker caresses a donkey at the Retired Animals Farm in Turkey's Bursa on October 01, 2020. Animal Rights Federation in Turkey (HAYTAP) established a “Retired Animals Farm” in Bursa for animals that were tortured, thrown out by their owners, injured and in need of assistance for similar reasons. Built in the neighborhood of Baskoy in Nilufer district after long term efforts, the farm provides a home to animals of many species, such as horse, donkey, cow, sheep, chicken from all around Turkey. The farm project receives support from various institutions and organizations. (Photo by Sergen Sezgin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

A traffic police officer directs traffic in Mohe City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, December 29, 2019. Temperatures in Mohe, “north pole” of China, often stand at below minus 40 degrees Celsius in winter mornings. Photo by Yang Siqi/Xinhua News Agency/Alamy Live News)

An EF-2 tornado begins to rope out on the outskirts of Mangum, Oklahoma, U.S. on May 20, 2019. Multiple tornadoes touched down and heavy rain flooded areas across Oklahoma. (Photo by Brett Conner/ZUMA Wire)

Giant panda Shuixiu's two babies are pictured at their room in Shenshuping base of China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda on November 3, 2021 in Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province of China. (Photo by An Yuan/China News Service 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)

A participant in the “Cats Who Look Like Cows” competition wears a cowboy outfit back stage before judging on March 05, 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand. Thailand's Cat Fanciers' Club hosted a “Cats Who Look Like Cows” competition during a Cat Expo in Bangkok's Ladphro neighborhood. Over 100 cats were judged on how similarly their pattern resembled a cow, color, fur softness and personality. A relaxed, fluffy cat named Arpo took home first prize. (Photo by Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images)