Women who dare to wear pants in public in Malawi have faced violent beatings and have been stripped on the streets, but the country’s president isn’t having it.

“I will not allow anyone to … go on the streets and start undressing women and girls wearing trousers, because that is illegal,” President Bingu wa Mutharika said in a broadcast to the nation, according to BBC News. “You are free to wear what you want. Women who want to wear trousers should do so, as you will be protected from thugs, vendors and terrorists.”

The BBC says protests are planned for today by women's groups in response to the attacks. Before 1994, the news service notes, it was illegal for women in Malawi to wear pants or miniskirts and for men to have long hair.

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