A child reacts as a family takes a break next to a cooling mist at the Sensoji temple as Japanese government issued heat stroke alerts in 39 of the country's 47 prefectures in Tokyo, Japan on July 22, 2024. (Photo by Issei Kato/Reuters)

A fisherman paddles on a makeshift raft as a child swims behind him in Gaza City's main fishing harbour on September 7, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (Photo by Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP Photo)

146 West End Stars hold a flashmob in support of the non-profit organistation Love 146, which campaigns to end child s*x slavery and exploitation, at Trafalgar Sqaure on April 11, 2011 in London, England. (Photo by Tim Whitby/Getty Images)

Child beauty pageants are a billion-dollar industry in the U.S. While some critics see the pageants as an exploitation of innocents, others—particularly pageant parents—view the competitions as a way for a young talent to enter the entertainment industry.

Paper cutouts of cartoon characters have evolved into a meme known as Paper Child with a community on deviantART by the name of #paperchildREVOLUTION dedicated to the craft.

A child parades on a float during the Bun Festival on May 25, 2015 in Hong Kong, Hong Kong. One of Hong Kong's most colourful cultural celebration event, Cheung Chau Bun Festival, will be staged on 25 May 2015 (Monday) till 26 May 2015 midnight (Tuesday). This festival has over 100 years of history. Every year, thousands of people descend upon the tiny island for The Piu Sik (Floating Colours) Parade, Lucky Bun (Ping On Bun) and The Bun Scrambling Competition, the ancient custom during the festival. (Photo by Lam Yik Fei/Getty Images)

A reveler and a child street vendor pose for a photo during the Banda de Ipanema Carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, January 31, 2015. Rio's over-the-top Carnival is the highlight of the year for many local residents. Hundreds of thousands of merrymakers are beginning to take to the streets in open-air “blocos” parties. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP Photo)

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)