Nepalese women and young girls struggle to drink homemade alcohol poured through a pipe sticking out of the mouth of Swet Bhairab, a god of Power, during the Indra Jatra festival at Basantapur Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, 17 September 2016. Hundreds of women and young girls gathered to drink alcohol as a blessing from idol of Swet Bhairab which they believes will keep them free from all diseases. The Indra Jatra festival is celebrated to honor Indra, the king of gods and god of rains. The festival also marks the end of the monsoon. (Photo by Narendra Shrestha/EPA)

“Maya” girl Ines de la Paloma, 9, (L), sits with her friend Nuria Sanchez Caballero, 6, at an altar during “Las Mayas” festivity in Madrid, Spain, May 8, 2016. “Las Mayas” festival is held annually at the beginning of May to celebrate the awakening of nature in Spring. Young girls are chosen to become “Mayas” and sit at altars decorated with flowers so that people can admire them. (Photo by Susana Vera/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)

American models Kendall Jenner, Lori Harvey, and Hailey Bieber have a girls' night out at Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica on June 13, 2023. (Photo by Backgrid USA)

A young girl walks with a Ukrainian flag during an event for Ukrainian Independence Day in the historical Grand Place of Brussels, Wednesday, August 24, 2022. European leaders are pledging unwavering support for Ukraine as the war-torn country marks its Independence Day. The commemorations Wednesday coincide with the six-month milestone of Russia's invasion. (Photo by Virginia Mayo/AP Photo)

A young girl tries to catch snow on her tongue near the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, before the start of a wreath-laying ceremony honoring the legacy of the late civil rights leader in Washington, DC on January 15, 2024. The ceremony is being held to honor the civil rights leader on the anniversary of his birthday. (Photo by Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP Photo)

Horse racing is part of Naadam, a festival organized every July in Mongolia to celebrate the People’s Revolution. Using children as jockeys in such races has a centuries-long tradition. Boys and girls as young as 5 (although the law imposes a minimum age limit of 7) ride in races that can be dangerous, with hundreds of horses running across the steppe at distances of 12 to 28 kilometres at great speeds. (Photo by Tomasz Gudzowaty)

A model stands next to a BMW X6 AC Schnitzer car at Auto China 2012 in Beijing in this April 24, 2012 file photo. Amid the razzmatazz, music and crowds at the Shanghai autoshow on Monday, hundreds of attractive young women, and men, mingled among the stands and company booths, introducing the newest sedans and handing out pamphlets. For years, models have been a staple at China's big autoshows – as much of a draw as the latest car models themselves. 2015 is different – the organisers have banned models from the Shanghai show. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)