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The United Nations estimates the number of child soldiers worldwide has fallen to 250, 000 compared to 300, 000 five years ago. UN Special Representative Radhika Coomaraswamy says during the past year, a significant number of child soldiers were released by the National Liberation Forces in Burundi and more children are to be released in the Central African Republic and the Philippines as a result of active intervention by the United Nations. But for the most part, she says negative developments far outweigh the positive ones. In particular, Coomaraswamy highlights the plight of child soldiers in ferocious conflicts in Gaza, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq and Afghanistan. In all of these conflicts, she says child soldiers and other children have suffered high casualty rates and grave violations.