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 case you missed the game, this is what happened explained in a short clip. Germany crush hosts Brazil 7-1 to reach the World Cup Final.

A Manchester City fan attends the trophy ceremony after the end of the Soccer Club World Cup final match between Manchester City FC and Fluminense FC at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Friday, December 22, 2023. Manchester City won 4-0. (Photo by Manu Fernandez/AP Photo)

Natasha Cloud #0 and Diana Taurasi #3 of the Phoenix Mercury gather their team before the game against the Seattle Storm at Climate Pledge Arena on June 04, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

The 27 curvy candidates for this year's eagerly-awaited Miss Bumbum pageant showed off all their assets as they paraded on one of Sao Paulo's busiest streets – Avenida Paulista – for the launch promotional race on August 8, 2016. Unsurprisingly, they stopped traffic. The girls will be fighting it out for the coveted title in a public vote before being whittled down to 15 finalists for the grand finale in November. (Photo by Leo Marinho/Splash News and Pictures)