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)

The winners of the Historic Photographer of the Year Awards 2020 from triphistoric.com celebrate the places and cultural sites around the world that offer a window to the history that exists all around us. This year, restricted by Covid, photographers were called on to scour their photographic archive to share their imagery of those places that dominate our past. Here: The Brighton Palace Pier. (Photo by Michael Marsh/Historic Photographer of the Year 2020)

The work entitled “Trip 1, Trip II, Trip III” by April Pine is pictured before dawn at Sculpture By The Sea at Bondi Beach on October 19, 2017 in Sydney, Australia. This year the outdoor exhibition celebrates its 21st birthday with 104 exhibiting artists from Australia and around the world and runs from the 19th October-5th November 2017. (Photo by Brook Mitchell/Getty Images)

An Indian woman reacts while performing yoga at a railway station on International Women's Day, organised by Heal-Station in association with Western Railway, in Mumbai, India, 08 March 2023. (Photo by Divyakant Solanki/EPA/EFE/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A woman uses a virtual reality (VR) headset to view images by Mexican painter Frida Kahlo in Mexico City, Mexico, 23 May 2018. The technological giant Google launched the “The Faces of Frida”, an interactive digital exhibition that treasures the heartrending work of the Mexican artist to tell her story from different points of view, with attention to the invisible details. (Photo by Sashenka Gutierrez/EPA/EFE)

Matthew Tkachuk #19 of Team USA fights with Brandon Hagel #38 of Team Canada during the first period in the 4 Nations Face-Off game at the Bell Centre on February 15, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

A soldier reacts after falling off a horse as members of the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, arrive at Green Park for a gun salute celebrating the King's birthday in London on November 14, 2022. King Charles III is celebrating his first birthday as monarch as he turns 74. (Photo by Daniel Leal/AFP Photo)

An orange cat wears sunglasses and a jacket before taking part in an orange cat competition on July 02, 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand. Thailand's Cat Fanciers' Club hosted an orange cat competition during a Cat Expo at Bangkok's Central Westgate Mall. Over 70 cats were judged on fur color, health and friendliness. A one year old cat named Chuan Long, after the Chinese Kung Fu boxer, took home first prize. (Photo by Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images)