In this picture taken late on June 13, 2017, physiotherapist Masayuki Ozaki takes a bath with his silicone s*x doll Mayu at a love hotel in Yachimata, Chiba prefecture. Around 2,000 of the life- like dolls – which cost around 6,000 USD and come with adjustable fingers, removable head and life- like genitals – are sold each year in Japan, according to industry insiders. (Photo by Behrouz Mehri/AFP 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)

Giraffes cross under the bridge of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) line inside the Nairobi National Park in Nairobi, Kenya, May 25, 2020. (Photo by Baz Ratner/Reuters)

Vehicles drive amid rainfall in Hyderabad, Pakistan, 27 June 2025. Heavy monsoon rains have impacted major cities across Pakistan, including Islamabad, Lahore, Hyderabad and Karachi, triggering urban flooding and power outages. Authorities remain on high alert. (Photo by Nadeem Khawar/EPA)

“Titanoboa is a genus of snake that lived approximately 58–60 million years ago, during the Paleocene epoch, a 10-million-year period immediately following the dinosaur extinction event. The only known species is the Titanoboa cerrejonensis, the largest snake ever discovered, which supplanted the previous record holder, Gigantophis”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Leah Del Rio views a replica of the prehistoric Titanoboa, the largest snake to ever live, on display at Grand Central Terminal on March 23, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

Going nowhere in a hurry, this friendly Javan Tree frog can be seen casually hopping aboard the slow-paced snail who like a lonely highway trucker is only too happy to have the company. These cute critters chew the fat until froggy reaches his destination and alights at the top of the branch. Creative Designer and amateur photographer Kurit Afsheen (34) was able to capture this special sequence while out in his back garden in Ciledug, Indonesia. (Photo by Kurit Afsheen/Media Drum World)

Engine driver Josef Kowatsch (top L) steers a train through the NEAT Gotthard Base Tunnel during a media visit near the town of Erstfeld August 24, 2015. Crossing the Alps, the world's longest train tunnel should become operational at the end of 2016, consisting of two parallel single track tunnels, each of a length of 57 km (35 miles). (Photo by Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters)

Members of South Korean girl group Gfriend rehearse in Seoul December 23, 2014. Thousands of Korean children dream of becoming household names like rapper Psy, whose 2012 “Gangnam Style” video was a global YouTube hit, often putting up with punishing schedules in the hope of one day making it big in the music industry. A recent survey of pre-teens showed that 21 percent of respondents wanted to be K-pop (Korean pop) stars when they grow up, the most popular career choice. (Photo by Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters)