Fewer kids report sex abuse in US juvenile detention centers

BOISE, Idaho (AP) - A new federal report has found that the number of kids who say they've been sexually victimized in juvenile detention centers has dropped across the U.S.

But the Bureau of Justice Statistics report released Wednesday found that remarkably high rates of sexual victimization persist in 12 facilities stretching from Oregon to Florida.

Nationwide, about 7% of kids reported being sexually victimized in juvenile facilities last year.

That compares with about 9.5% in 2012, the last time the federal survey was done.

Advocates say there's been progress, but sexual violence remains commonplace.

At one facility in Florida, just over 26 percent of youth reported being sexually victimized in the past 12 months.