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)

Kim Kardashian looks to have left her underwear at home as she heads out for an early dinner with boyfriend Kanye West in Miami on October 14, 2012. As Kim checked out her outfit in the reflection of her car, it became apparent that the reality star was not wearing any underwear as she showed off her see-through grey skirt. (Photo by Brett Kaffee/Thibault Monnier/PacificCoastNews.com)

In this April 2, 2016 photo, dusty sculptures made of cast-off baby dolls sit in an open-air museum and art workshop off a trash-strewn street cutting through some of the poorest neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. They were created by Haitian artists called Atis Rezistans who have become celebrated in the international art world by creating sculptures out of scrapped car parts, old wood, discarded toys and even human skulls found scattered outside crumbling mausoleums. (Photo by David McFadden/AP Photo)

Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg, right, of Germany steers his car in front of Mercedes driver Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain, center and Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany during the Austrian Formula One Grand Prix race at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, southern Austria, Sunday, June 21, 2015. (AP Photo/Kerstin Joensson)

A cyclist climbs over a tree fallen atop a car after a heavy storm in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, July 25, 2015. One person was killed as the most severe July storm ever recorded in the Netherlands swept across the country on Saturday, delaying flights and disrupting road and rail traffic. Dozens of flights were delayed at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport and authorities warned travellers not to take to the road as gale-force winds and rain lashed the country, prompting the meteorological service to issue a “Code Red” warning. (Photo by Cris Toala Olivares/Reuters)

A Palestinian man sits on a damaged car following Israeli airstrikes on Jabaliya refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, Thursday, May 20, 2021. Heavy airstrikes pummeled a street in the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza, destroying ramshackle homes with corrugated metal roofs nearby. The military said it struck two underground launchers in the camp used to fire rockets at Tel Aviv. (Photo by Khalil Hamra/AP Photo)

General view of festival goers at the main stage on Day 3 of Download festival at Donnington Park on June 12, 2022 in Donnington, England. (Photo by Chris Bethell/The Guardian)

Youths smeared in coloured powder and dressed as Lord Krishna (L) and deity Radha (R) celebrate with others the Holi festival, the Hindu spring festival of colours, in Kolkata on March 17, 2022. (Photo by Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP Photo)