When not even safe in her own home : adjudicating violence against children in 19th century Mexico City

Courts in Mexico City have long recognized that crimes of violente against children, such as rape, murder and infanticide, are particularly horrifying to society. Before the modem era of codification and, most recently, laws designed to protect the rights of children, mid-nineteenth century prosecu-tors and judges took special care in seeking justice for society's weakest and most vulnerable victims. Those charged with adrninistering justice also recognized the need to adher rigorously to rules of evidence lest an accused become a victim of revenge rather than be held accountable to society and its laws.