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)

Jose, a reveller covered in grease, poses for a photo as he takes part in the annual Cascamorras festival in Baza, southern Spain September 6, 2015. The festival was inspired by a dispute between the town of Baza and Guadix over the possession of an icon of the Virgin of Piedad. The Cascamorras refers to representatives from Guadix, who were sent to Baza to recover the statue. As the Cascamorras had to stay perfectly clean to gain possession of the statue, Baza residents attempt to make them as “dirty” as possible. (Photo by Marcelo del Pozo/Reuters)

“La Diablada” dancers take part in a celebration in honor of the Virgin del Carmen, patron saint of Chile, in Santiago, Chile, Saturday, July 16, 2022. Hundreds of cowboys in woolen ponchos and families on wooden horse carts lined up to receive a priest's blessing in the huge esplanade in front of the National Sanctuary of Maipu on Saturday afternoon. (Photo by Esteban Felix/AP Photo)

An Indian girl, Aritri Bannerjee, gets dressed as the Goddess Durga, during the Kumari Puja as part of the Durga Puja festival at Shidaspur village, far north of Kolkata, eastern India, 22 October 2023. During the Kumari Puja, devotees worship a girl aged between six and twelve, symbolizing the Kanya Kumari (virgin) form of the Goddess Durga Devi. Hindu devotees believe that Kanya is a living embodiment of the goddess Durga. (Photo by Piyal Adhikary/EPA/EFE)

Runners warm up during the Team Pants And Bra photcall at City Hall on January 26, 2012 in London, England. Team Pants and Bra sprinted through central London this morning, encouraging fellow runners to join TeamPB and proudly wear pants and bras for the Virgin London Marathon in April, representing The Prostate Cancer Charity and Breast Cancer Care. (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images for Prostate Cancer)

Travellers ride their horse through the river during the Appleby Horse Fair on June 5, 2014 in Appleby, England. The Appleby Horse Fair has existed under the protection of a charter granted by James II since 1685 and is one of the key gathering points for the Romany, gypsy and traveling community. The fair is attended by about 5,000 travellers who come to buy and sell horses. The animals are washed and groomed before being ridden at high speed along the “mad mile” for the viewing of potential buyers. (Photo by Nigel Roddis/Getty Images)

Members of the 2013 “Jarl Squad” take part in the annual Up Helly Aa festival which culminates in the burning of a Viking Galley in Lerwick, Shetland Islands on January 29, 2013. Up Helly Aa celebrates the influence of the Scandinavian Vikings in the Shetland Islands and has employed this theme in the festival since 1870. The event culminates with up to 1,000 “guizers” (men in costume) throwing flaming torches into their Viking longboat. (Photo by Andy Buchanan/AFP Photo)

A believer dressed as a “diablo” (devil) jumps at the San Blas' (Saint Blaise) procession during the “Endiablada” festival in Almonacid del Marquesado, in central Spain February 3, 2015. In the “Endiablada”, an undated traditional festival in honour of the Candelaria Virgin and San Blas, believers are dressed in colourful costumes, wear a mitre with lead cowbells tied to their waists that ring as they wander around the village and in front of the saints' statues during their processions. (Photo by Susana Vera/Reuters)