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Sixty percent of sexual assaults are left unreported, according to a 2005 United States Department of Justice National Crime Victimization study, making sexual assault one of the most underreported crimes.

Nursing professor Marilyn Sommers is hoping to change this by developing a more effective post-rape exam and studying the appearance of women after consensual sex.

“One of the major barriers to reporting sexual assault is fear that the police won’t believe the woman or will blame her in some way,” Nursing senior and research assistant Alyssa Kaplan said. “This study aims to find physical evidence that could support the legal case.”

The first study, conducted in 2001, enrolled 120 women and compared their injuries before and after consensual sex. Sommers found that more than half of the examined women had some kind of vaginal injury after sex.

According to Sommers, examining consensual sex injuries may help doctors separate instances of rape from consensual sex.

“Sometimes an individual can suspect that there was a sexual assault but not be certain because they were incapacitated or not fully conscious,” Violence Prevention Educator at Penn Women’s Center Nina Harris said. “A rape exam can help determine the presence of fluids, so in this instance it is recommended that they still seek treatment.”

Through her study, Sommers discovered the existence of a possible discrepancy in rape exams.

Women who identified themselves as white had more injuries than those who were black. Black women may be at a disadvantage since it is difficult to see injuries sustained from sexual intercourse.

Sommers decided to focus her research on developing more efficient methods of digital image analysis for women of all skin colors.

“By looking at skin colors and injuries, this study has the potential to help all women after sexual assault,” Kaplan said.

Sommers is in the process of enrolling 600 women who are 21 years old and older in her study. According to College junior and research assistant Shelley Co, the results rely on surveys, questionnaires and empirical measurements.

Sommers said that she is frequently asked to testify in rape cases — at least once a month. However, she always declines.

“It’s a conflict for my science. My job is to generate the science and let the nurses examine it,” she said.

“There is much legal jargon around the definition of the term ‘rape,’ but what is most important for a victim to know is that if they feel they have been sexually violated, they should seek support as soon as possible,” Harris said.