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)

Members of the Paraguay-African cultural group Kamba Cua dance during celebrations in honor of Saint Balthazar, one of the Three Kings, on Epiphany in Fernando de la Mora, Paraguay, late Saturday, January 8, 2022, just days after the official holiday. The annual procession is a tradition that keeps Paraguay's Afro-descendants connected with their African roots through ancestral dance, drumming and customs. (Photo by Jorge Saenz/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 woman holds a picture as people pray during a funeral, following a mass shooting at a day care centre, at Wat Rat Samakee, in the town of Uthai Sawan, in the province of Nong Bua Lam Phu, Thailand on October 9, 2022. (Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters)

Hundreds of volunteers stand at Goma International Airport receiving instructions before boarding a plane that will take them to a training center after responding to Democratic Republic of Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi's call to join the army to go to the front lines to fight against the M23 rebellion (March 23 Movement) in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, on November 14, 2022. (Photo by Guerchom Ndebo/AFP Photo)

Police officers speak to a woman in Greenwich Park in London, England on April 4, 2020. The Government has announced a lockdown to slow the spread of Coronavirus and reduce pressure on the NHS. (Photo by Alamy Live News)

An employee in protective gears sprays disinfectant at the main exhibition tank at the Sea World at Jaya Ancol Dream Park as it is closed for public in the wake of coronavirus outbreak in Jakarta, Indonesia, Saturday, March 14, 2020. Indonesia's capital city announced a lockdown of all tourist destinations and entertainment spots as well as the closing all of its public schools for the next 14 days amid the global outbreak. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness. (Photo by Dita Alangkara/AP Photo)

Russian Orthodox priest, Father Nikolai Gensitsky, speaks with believers while having a festive meal during the Easter celebrations in a church in the village of Yekaterininskoye in Omsk Region, Russia on April 19, 2020. (Photo by Alexey Malgavko/Reuters)