A reveller reacts amid a “flour war” during the “Ash Monday” celebrations, a traditional festivity marking the end of the carnival season and the start of the 40-day Lent period until the Orthodox Easter, in the port town of Galaxidi, Greece, on March 11, 2019. (Photo by Aris Messinis/AFP Photo)

Miss Vanjie performs during the LA Pride 2019 on June 09, 2019 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)

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)

Filipino children play at a fishing village along the coast of Manila Bay, Philippines, 30 May 2023. As a precaution of approaching Typhoon Mawar, Philippine government authorities have evacuated thousands of residents, imposed a no-sail ban, suspended school classes, and shutdown offices in the northern part of Luzon island, the country's largest and most populous island. (Photo by Francis R. Malasig/EPA/EFE/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Female dancers line up before they perform during the opening of Bali Arts Festival in Bali, Indonesia, Sunday, June 18, 2023. The island of Bali is currently holding a month-long annual Bali Arts Festival from June 18 until July 16. (Photo by Firdia Lisnawati/AP Photo)

People wade through a flooded road, due to monsoon rains and the recent typhoon Doksuri, in Balagtas, Bulacan province, Philippines on July 29, 2023. (Photo by Lisa Marie David/Reuters)

A toque macaque is eating flowers in the water at the pilgrimage site in Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka, on January 13, 2024. The toque macaque (Macaca sinica), a reddish-brown-colored Old World monkey, is endemic to Sri Lanka, where it is known as the rilewa or rilawa. It is named for the whorl of hair at the crown of its head, which resembles a brimless toque cap. (Photo by Thilina Kaluthotage/NurPhoto/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A car passes through an area of the boardwalk hit by strong waves in Havana, Cuba, 05 February 2024. The Cuban Institute of Meteorology (Insmet) recorded strong gusts of wind of up to 104 kilometers per hour and strong waves in the west of the island due to a cold front associated with an “extratropical low”. (Photo by Ernesto Mastrascusa/EPA)