Dressed with its white tunic characteristic, Ehsan Ullah Khan travels through one of the main shopping streets in Madrid.He spends the hours watching clothes in stores, looking carefully at prices on their labels, the 'made in'.Reporting what is sometimes behind those pieces of cardboard is part of the fight that has been behind him for half a century: that there is, nowhere, no person working in slavery conditions.

At 70 years old, this activist and journalist of Pakistani origin remains as firm in his conviction as the day he began.They demonstrate his serenity and his forcefulness when speaking.The same for which he has received threats and for which he has been imprisoned several times.Today lives exiled in Sweden.

Ullah has visited Spain to present the Dignitex platform, formed by several international associations that fight against exploitation in the textile chain.Among them is global front of forced labor release, founded in 1988 by the activist.But the first step took it 20 years before, when an organization launched to help the workers of brick factories, one of the slave labor sources in Pakistan.

Another was the carpet industry.To one of his looms had been chained for years Iqbal Masih when he managed to escape slavery thanks to Ullah's help.His murder in 1995 made him a worldwide symbol against child exploitation.I was 12 years old.Today, 246 million boys and girls like Iqbal are still victims of child labor, according to UNICEF.

What brings to Spain?

Spanish society is forgetting Jesus' message that children must be loved.Currently, in the Spanish market, everywhere, there are products made by slave children.They are sold in the streets, in stores...particularly in large clothing stores.

This violates international laws.I try that society, as well as multinationals, rethink the message of Jesus.Pope Francis has also repeated that children should be released from all kinds of exploitation.I want this to come true.

He has mentioned it.What is the responsibility of European and Spanish companies in this exploitation that you denounce?

The textile industry, the second most powerful in the world behind that of weapons, is very involved in slavery.A shirt will be produced to an impoverished country where the economic situation and that of children is worse.Many of these countries have been affected by war.

Large companies like Mango or Inditex want to produce a garment garment.In one place they buy cotton, such as Egypt, Ethiopia or Pakistan.They will dye that cotton to another country.They spin it in another, like India.In another place the garment is made.And then they go to China.It is a very organized system, controlled by companies that exploit many people, especially women and children, in huge parts of the world.

There is a huge abyss between the countries they buy and those that produce.Sometimes, to make a garment, no more than 5 or 10 euros are spent, and they can sell it for more than 100 euros.This endangers peace in the world.That's why I travel.I don't have a special mania against any specific multinational.It is not a problem that I like it or not, I just follow some principles.

Companies usually attribute these abuses to local suppliers with whom they work.

Sometimes, this is a malicious propaganda of multinationals.They try to confuse us with this type of messages.If a producer in China makes a small mistake sewing a piece of a shirt pocket, or puts a button above the account, they no longer want their garments to produce.

Today everything can be controlled online.They are monitoring the process from America, from Spain, from wherever.People are sitting in their offices with their mobiles and if they want, they can perfectly control this.How can they say they don't know that there are children working, if you can know until a button is wrong?

We have to change the system.Nothing is being paid, or less than a dollar, slave children.Two dollars to young women.This is slavery too.If five dollars begin to be paid, things will be better.The consumer will not notice.If you buy a garment, instead of 30 euros you can pay 34.The benefit of these companies is very large.

It is often defended that these children are pushed to work because they are a livelihood for their families.

Many times, when children are working, adults are unemployed or are being very badly paid.If children go to school, adults will have to go to factories.Sometimes they say that if these children do not work, their parents will die.It is also propaganda.

They [companies] say that, in general, children are in the local market, and that there is a very small percentage that works for large multinationals.This is not true.When a multinational goes to these countries a production model based on exploitation.Politicians are corrupted in the relationship with these large multinationals and a whole system begins that infects local industries.

In the nineties we started a campaign against slavery in carpet production.They said the same: "Children have to work there because they have very young fingers that are perfect for weaving".It was not true.We introduced a slave labor free brand and now adults work.There are still problems, but 40% is free of child exploitation.They are propagandas, everything.Like when they said that blacks had to be slaves because they didn't know how to do anything else.There is always a justification for slavery.

There are also those who argue that working conditions have to do with the own standard of living of the producing countries.

When we talk about workers' rights, there are international conventions for which we can guide.They exist, but they don't follow them.After the murder of IQBAL, they introduced the social responsibility system of the companies.In the books it is very good: protect the environment, the rights of workers, minimum salary ... but do not respect it.

Audits are brought, which are often made from the wishes of the multinational: they choose the auditor, they pay them, they even design the questions.They go, make the report, highlight two or three defects that must be changed, and it is already.Apple, for example, begins the exploitation from Congo, where they extract gold and coltan.From there they take him to China, Foxconn, his supplier.There, in the past, several women committed suicide because they did not support the conditions.The reports in charge of Apple do not say any of this, they only mention a couple of problems.That's cheating.

What can governments do?The European Parliament asked a year ago to adopt legislation that obliged companies in the textile sector to control respect for human rights throughout its production chain, but no record has not yet been moved.It has not yet moved

It is a very interesting statement but it must be carried out.Slave products should be like drugs.They should not import, should not afford it.No one should buy that, it should be illegal.If I buy an illegal drug, when I pass it on the border they will stop me.And if someone is sold, it will also be arrested.Too easy.

The manteros, in Spain, are not allowed to sell.Why does the law pursue those who do not have permission to sell but do not pursue these sales of slave products?The law should be the same for everyone.Europeans should press governments to investigate, not only where it occurs, but the exploitation chain system.We should demand that they certify that their garments are free of slavery.This would be a step.

You have participated in the release of thousands of adults and slave children, including Iqbal Masih.What do I remember about him?

We should show our enormous respect for Iqbal.When he was killed, on April 16, 1995, his voice against slavery expanded worldwide in a few hours.It was so strong that it continues.The University of Salamanca, for example, dedicates April 16 to the day free of slavery.Others like Burgos, or Alicante, have committed themselves.

Iqbal was a beautiful, very nice child.I met him during a rally in 1992.I saw a child sitting, hidden.From my experience, I sensed that I wanted to say something, but I did not dare.I sat next to me, I talked to him.After a while, his situation told me.At first he did not dare, but ended up telling him to other children.

For me, the path for liberation is for the victim to rise and become more powerful.Your body can be free, but not your mind.The victim has to be able to stand up and this has to do with education.Countries, the world in general should manufacture more pen than weapons.

Now that I come so much to Spain, my desire is that people, young students, consumers, understand that we are collaborating with slavery, that we ourselves are slaves when we buy things done by slaves.The more you buy, the more you support the slavery machine.We have to stop it.

His activism has cost him several threats, prison and an exile.What is your situation now?

Since I started, I adopted two principles: I will never be violent in my fight and I don't want revenge.If someone tries to kill me or hurt me, I will not give it importance.I don't want recognition.I do not care about that.I have been threatened in Sweden several times by phone.Even the head of a great multinational called me.

I've been in jail 12 times.They have made electric torture, with water ... this is part of the game.I am Muslim, but I usually wear a symbol [take out a white rosary and hold it in the hands].Jesus was crucified by the rights of others.This fight must continue.