Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain reacts after the men's single tennis match of Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on March 01, 2023. (Photo by Amr Alfiky/Reuters)

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 racegoers cheers on her horse in Race 4 ahead of the race of the Melbourne Cup at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, November 7, 2017. (Photo by Andy Brownbill/AP Photo)

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)

An Afghan Sikh man drinks from a cup inside a Gurudwara, or a Sikh temple, during a religious ceremony in Kabul, Afghanistan June 8, 2016. (Photo by Mohammad Ismail/Reuters)

A Hot air balloon is seen at the Cup Hot Air event during the Air Sports festival titled “70 Years of Peaceful Sky” in Minsk, Belarus July 18, 2015. (Photo by Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters)

Dale Steil wears face paint and lights before Game 5 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Thursday, May 29, 2025, in Dallas. (Photo by Gareth Patterson/AP Photo)

Motocross riders compete on the beach on October 15, 2023 in Weymouth, United Kingdom. The motocross event, which first came to the town in 1984, organised by Weymouth and Portland Lions Club in association with Purbeck Motocross Club, sees over 300 riders compete over a course along Weymouth beach. (Photo by Graham Hunt/BNPS)