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)

In this April 18, 2019 photo, tattoo artist Lalo Calva inks a tattoo on client Adrian Alonso Rodriguez, a journalist, announcer and dubbing artist, at the Corona Tattoo parlor in Mexico City. Not only inks and techniques have changed in Mexico over the years, but tattoos themselves have evolved from stigmatized symbols of gangs, violence and poverty to an art form. (Photo by Marco Ugarte/AP Photo)

A Russian digital artist Svetlana Petrova has taken her love of cats to the next level – by adding her furry friend to some of the world's greatest artwork. Svetlana has placed photos of her tabby, called Zarathustra, posing alongside the most well-known pieces in history for her UK exhibition. (Photo by Svetlana Petrova/Zarathustra the Cat)

Women walk next to soldiers in Surcubamba, Peru, Thursday, May 21, 2015. The Joint Command of the Peruvian Armed Forces organized a humanitarian mission to Surcubamba, where health care was provided to families from nearby villages in this region called VRAEM, the acronym for Valley of the Apurimac, Ene and Mantaro rivers, where sixty percent of Peru's cocaine originates. (Photo by Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo)

A woman takes a picture as a super moon, known as the Blue Moon, rises above Ciudad Juarez, Mexico on August 30, 2023. (Photo by Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters)

An artwork by artist Chavis Marmol, a Tesla 3 car crushed by a nine-ton Olmec-inspired head, is pictured in Mexico City on March 13, 2024. (Photo by Carl de Souza/AFP Photo)

A Mexican soldier burns coca plants in the mountainous area of Atoyac de Alvarez, Guerrero state, Mexico, on February 15, 2023. (Photo by Francisco Robles/AFP Photo)

Angel Paz, dressed as a calavera, waits with family for the start of the Gran Procession of the Catrinas, to mark the upcoming Day of the Dead holiday, in Mexico City, Sunday, October 23 2016. (Photo by Anita Baca/AP Photo)