The aim of this thesis has been to identify the causes and consequences of unaccompanied children disappearing. The method used in the study is a qualitative text analysis where approaches aim to investigate a problem that exists in society, but where it is important to describe and understand the reality that the unaccompanied children who disappear in Sweden go through.

The results analyzed are based on the three most common causes and consequences of unaccompanied children disappearing. The causes show that there is a huge concern among the children before they turn 18 years old, a lack of participation of the child in the placement of it and mental ill-health and trauma. The children have a great sense of fear, which is based on the feeling of hopelessness and of getting a negative response on their asylumapplication. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that the consequences that children face when they turn to living on the streets are that they are exposed to human trafficking, sexual exploitation, other forms of crime and drugs. When children deviate and disappear, it becomes difficult to fulfil many of their rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. By analyzing the causes and consequences from a child's perspective, one better understands the reasons why children differ and how important it is to handle situations according to achild'sperspective by listening to children.

This study also highlights and clarifies problems that children meet in the asylumprocess, in which authorities often fail in the safe reception and care of the unaccompanied asylum seeking children that deviate and disappear.