A paddle boarder watches a hot air balloon flying low over Lake Burley Griffin on the 30th anniversary of Canberra's Balloon Spectacular festival in Australia's capital, March 14, 2016. (Photo by Lukas Coch/Reuters/AAP)

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)

Londoners walking through Potters Field Park were surprised to see a “money tree” blooming with £9820 in £10 notes, the average amount a working British family has in savings, on July 24, 2014 in London, England. The tree was planted by Sunlife to encourage the nation to start saving at least £10 a month for a brighter future. (Photo by Tristan Fewings/Getty Images for SunLife)

Julia Wheeler, 31, from Perth, Western Australia, has been a hands reach away from pilot whales, Bull sharks, manta rays and more during her time diving without any breathing equipment. Here real life mermaid Julia is diving with manta rays in Bali and looks incredible swimming among them while holding her breath for four and a half minute. (Photo by Julia Wheeler/Caters News Agency)

Competitors in the Pro Bikini division pose during the Arnold Classic Australia at The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on March 14, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

Alice Cooke at the Sydney Women’s Reformatory in 1922. By the time she was 24 Alice Cooke had created an impressive number of aliases and at least two husbands, and was convicted of bigamy and theft. (Photo by My Colorful Past/Mediadrumworld)

The Facebook website is displayed on a laptop computer on May 9, 2011 in San Anselmo, California. An investigation by The Pew Research Center found that Facebook has become a player in the news industry as the popular social media site is driving an increasing amount of traffic to news web sites. (Photo Illustration by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)