Documentation Against Oblivion: A Case Study in Autonomous Archiving of Institutional Abuse

Language Note: This document is provided in a bilingual format (English and German) to ensure both international accessibility and local historical accuracy.Methodological Note: Autonomous Archiving and the Breaking of AnonymityThis documentation represents a significant exception within the field of historical processing. Between 1945 and the 1980s, approximately 100,000 children in Austria were victims of institutional abuse. The vast majority (80–90%) remain silent due to deep-seated trauma, while existing records are often kept in sealed government or church archives, inaccessible to the public.Peter Siegfried Krug belongs to a fraction of less than 1% of survivors who actively publish their history. By securing this work with a Permanent DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and implementing the Source Triad, he transcends the role of a passive subject. This is an act of "Autonomous Archiving"—the reclamation of the power of definition over one's own life. By providing bilingual documentation under his full name, he intentionally breaks the pattern of institutional anonymization. He acts not merely as a subject of history, but as an architect of historical memory.Key Concepts of this Process:Agency: The transition from passive victimhood to active documentation.Citizen Science: A contribution to historical research that meets professional standards through DOI-based archiving.Self-Authentication: Validating one's own existence and experiences through a verifiable chain of evidence (Source Triad: Archive.org, Biographical Anchor, and High-Reach Platforms).Mission Statement: This publication serves the primary purpose of historical reappraisal and documentation. It is a systematic effort to break the silence surrounding institutional abuse and to provide a verifiable record for future generations.