Almost all of the one million Afghan nationals living in Iran are refugees, fled their war-torn country during the 1980s Soviet war and 1990s Taliban regime. The majority of the refugees are the Shiite Hazara ethnic who receives prosecution under the Taliban. Despite of their religious bond with the Shiite Iran, the Afghan refugees are treated with suspicion, discrimination, and often hostility. They cannot obtain Iranian citizenship or permanent residency, and the children have no rights to receive proper education.
This girl never left Iran since she was born. Her Hazara parents escaped from the Taliban prosecution in their hometown in Ghazni province. The father, a construction worker, is in confusion whether to return to Afghanistan or keep staying in Iran, as his children cannot go to schools in Iran.
Yazd, Iran, 2008