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)

Two rescued pangolins sit in a basket during a news conference in Bangkok on June 7, 2012. Thai customs rescued 110 pangolins worth about $35,500 that they say were to be sold outside the country as exotic food. The animals, hidden in a pickup truck, were seized at a customs checkpoint in Prachuap Khiri Khan province, south of Bangkok. (Photo by Sakchai Lalit/Associated Press)

Festival goers wear Australia day attire at Big Day Out 2012 at the Sydney Showground on January 26, 2012 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

“The Guinness World Records has consistently listed Sherlock Holmes as the “most portrayed movie character” with 75 actors playing the part in over 211 films. Holmes' first screen appearance was in the Mutoscope film Sherlock Holmes Baffled in 1900, albeit in a barely-recognisable form”. – Wikipedia

Photo: William Gillette as the lead in a stage production of “Sherlock Holmes”, at the Lyceum Theatre. Playwright: William Gillette, Arthur Conan Doyle (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images). 9th September 1901

Spectators pose for a selfie before the running of the Melbourne Cup at the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, November 6, 2018. (Photo by Andy Brownbill/AP Photo)

John McEnroe kicks back a television camera that he felt was crowding him on the court during the finals of the U.S. Pro Indoor Tennis Championships in Philadelphia January 27, 1985. McEnroe defeated Czech Miroslav Mecir to win the tournament. (Photo by Amy Sancetta/AP Photo)

This picture taken on May 4, 2020 shows a gentoo penguin swimming in an enclosure at the Ocean Park theme park, which is currently closed due to the COVID-19 novel coronavirus, in Hong Kong. (Photo by Richard A. Brooks/AFP Photo)

English model and actress Cara Delevingne poses at the Met Gala, an annual fundraising gala held for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute with this year's theme “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty”, in New York City, New York, U.S., May 1, 2023. (Photo by Andrew Kelly/Reuters)