Running from Asylum: Unravelling the paradox of why some unaccompanied asylum-seeking children disappear from the system that is designed to protect them.

Abstract: Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) disappearing from protection of the asylum system is a phenomenon that occurs around the world. Sweden is not immune to UASC disappearances, despite Swedish asylum laws and practices being based on the “Best Interests of the Child” (BIC). This study investigates the phenomenon from the perspective of stakeholders within the municipality of Malmö, Sweden, utilizing a constructivist grounded theory (CGT) approach. The aim of this study is to identify key paradoxical situations within the asylum system that may trigger disappearances, and to construct the theories surrounding this phenomenon from the data collected. The theories of governmentality, intersectionality and the post-Colonial theory of “othering” including “self-othering” were identified as valid concepts in regards to this phenomenon. This study also calls for further research into the field of unaccompanied migrant children including better documentation of these children who are both in and out of the asylum system.