Afghan refugee youth in Iran feel excluded, discriminated

Drawing by Participant Girl, 18.

A new study of young Afghans in Iran has noted that they feel excluded, discriminated and have limited access to education.

The arts-based approach study from the University of Eastern Finland effectively captures the complex and layered experiences of displaced young people.

Conducted among Afghan refugee youth living in Iran, the study participants were invited to draw and write about their life. Using an arts-based approach and social representations theory, the study explored how young people make sense of life between two cultures and how they envision their future.

“Afghan refugee youth face many challenges in Iran, from exclusion in education to experiences of discrimination. Yet, they also hold on to hope, friendship and a desire for peaceful coexistence,” says Associate Professor Jari Martikainen from the University of Eastern Finland.

The study invited 85 Afghan participants aged 10 to 19 to create a drawing and write a short text in response to the question: “What would you like Iranian people to know about your life?” The material, analysed through qualitative content analysis, identified four main social representations that reflected how these young people perceive their social world: problematic relations between Afghan and Iranian people, friendly relations between Afghan and Iranian youth, social and cultural barriers, and hopes for peaceful coexistence in the future.

Most participants described feelings of exclusion, discrimination and limited access to education, which deeply shaped their sense of belonging. Many shared experiences of being treated as outsiders or facing unequal opportunities in daily life. At the same time, others spoke of kindness and friendship from Iranian peers – small gestures that gave them hope and a sense of connection.

“Acts of friendship, such as being included in play, were especially meaningful,” Project Researcher Hadi Farahani, a co-author of the study, explains.

“They showed that even amid social barriers, empathy and understanding can grow.”

By combining drawing and writing, the research provided a unique window into how young refugees understand and express their experiences. The arts-based approach allowed participants to communicate emotions and ideas that might be difficult to put into words, offering a more nuanced picture of how they make sense of their social reality. According to the researchers, this method revealed not only the content of the participants’ experiences but also the process of meaning-making itself. Drawings and texts complemented each other, showing how young people link personal encounters with broader social realities.

The findings demonstrate that Afghan refugee youth are not passive observers of their circumstances but active interpreters who reconstruct meaning from their experiences. They combine personal stories, social interactions and cultural knowledge to make sense of their identities and relationships with others.

“Our study highlights the creativity and agency of these young people. They are not simply adapting to life in exile – they are shaping their own understanding of what coexistence and belonging mean,” says Farahani.

While many of the youths’ reflections focused on discrimination and exclusion, a recurring theme was hope for a better future. Their drawings often depicted Afghans and Iranians living together peacefully, studying, playing and sharing everyday life as equals. These visions of harmony represent what researchers call anticipatory social representations – images of a future that challenge existing divisions and, for their part, enable social change.

The study concludes that the relationship between Afghan and Iranian people is central to how young refugees understand their lives in Iran. Through art, they gave voice to their struggles and hopes, showing both the pain of exclusion and the resilience of hope.

“Art gave them a space to dream,” Martikainen notes.

The University of Eastern Finland, UEF, is the most multidisciplinary university in Finland. The university’s interdisciplinary research and education responds to global challenges, building a sustainable future. Research conducted at UEF is ranked among the best in the world in several fields. The university is home to 17,000 students and 3,200 staff.