Beyond Irregularity: Categorizing Gambian Youth Migration through Vulnerability and Developmental Loss

In 2025 Gambian migration activists reported 893 deaths and 777 disappearances among youths attempting irregular migration to Europe via the “backway.” This article uses that tragedy as an empirical lens to interrogate how scholarly and policy categories for “people on the move” shape humanitarian responses, governance priorities, and public narratives. Drawing on activist reports, media coverage, policy documents, and comparative scholarship from Senegal and Nigeria, the study employs qualitative content analysis and an aspirations–capabilities framework to examine how labels—such as “irregular migrant,” “missing,” “returnee,” and “victim”—capture or obscure lived realities. Findings show that legal-status categories often privilege deterrence, while vulnerability- and development-oriented classifications better align with protection, reintegration, and human-capital recovery. The paper proposes a multi-dimensional taxonomy that integrates legal status, vulnerability profile, social embeddedness , and developmental impact to guide research, policy, and programming. The taxonomy aims to reframe migration governance toward dignity and opportunity for Gambian youth and to improve comparative analysis across West Africa.