An aerial view shows the 11/19 pit and twin slag heaps at the former coal mine site in Loos-en-Gohelle, northern France, November 1, 2015. Loos-en-Gohelle, a town of 7000 inhabitants in the North of France, marked by the closure of coal mines in 1970, has demonstrated a successful transition from coal to a green economy. (Photo by Pascal Rossignol/Reuters)

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)

“Dropping” is the work of Italian graphic artist Alberto Seveso. Seveso captured these amazing images or “fluid sculpture” with the use of high-speed photography while mixing ink with oil, as a tribute to the dripping technique of Jackson Pollock. Seveso works from his home town of Portoscuso, Italy creating cutting edge imagery for ad campaigns for companies such as Adobe, Sony, ESPN, Nikon and more. Sevese says of his work: “I don't consider myself as an artist, I'm just someone playing with software and creativity”... (Photo by Alberto Seveso)

A member of staff prepares herself a crisp sandwich in the Simply Crispy sandwich cafe in Belfast, northern Ireland January 12, 2015. The sandwich shop which opened on Monday is the world's first crisp sandwich cafe, local media reported. The idea of a crisp sandwich cafe started as a joke article on a website called Ulster Fry. The hilarious piece poked fun at recent ridiculous foody trends like the cereal café that opened in London last year. What was once a satirical joke has now become reality, after Belfast cafe owner Andrew McMenamin decided to make it happen. Customers will be able to choose their bread and crisps and add cheese or ham to their sandwich, which will be served with soup and chips. (Photo by Cathal McNaughton/Reuters)

Masks that come with T'antawawas bread are displayed in a popular market of La Paz, October 27, 2015. Residents of La Paz city have started to prepare offerings for their dead relatives next Sunday as part of the All Saints' Day celebrations. The offerings include things the deceased liked during their life, such as fruits, food, breads and drinks, according to local media. (Photo by David Mercado/Reuters)

Waka Tsukiyama and Sayaka Unagi compete during the Women's Pro-Wrestling “Stardom” at Korakuen Hall on September 06, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)

Erin Brooks of Canada surfs in the Heat 3 of the Round of 16 during the 2024 GWM Sydney Surf Pro at North Narrabeen Beach on May 12, 2024 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Andy Cheung/Getty Images)

Belarusian schoolchildren, who are members of a pro-government Young Pioneer movement, perform with drums as they take part in a meeting to mark the 95th anniversary of their organisation in Minsk, Belarus May 19, 2017. (Photo by Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters)