KEEN basketballers from throughout western Victoria will descend on Horsham Basketball Stadium on Wednesday to raise awareness of family violence.
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Horsham's police and Koori basketball team will face off against Ballarat's police and Koori team at 7.30pm in an inaugural Hoops Against Violence main event.
Wimmera Superintendent Graham Kent and Goolum Goolum Aboriginal Co-operative's John Gorton will speak about domestic violence from 7pm.
Horsham Hornets' Tim Pickett will discuss basketball and healthy lifestyle choices.
Eight organisations have organised the event, including Grampians Indigenous Family Violence Regional Action Group, Victoria Police, Goolum Goolum, Department of Justice, Department of Human Services and Horsham Basketball Association.
Department of Human Services indigenous family violence regional co-ordinator Kiewa Lovett said the incidence of domestic violence in the Wimmera was 'quite high' yet under-reported.
"Hoops Against Violence is about the community coming together and raising awareness that violence is not on," she said.
Horsham Senior Constable Les Power said there was also a children's component.
School children from Horsham, Heywood and Ballarat will play off in a basketball round-robin tournament on Wednesday afternoon.
Horsham Hornets playing coach Sharon Fedke will also lead a basketball skill-building session from 9.30am on Thursday.
"Domestic violence can be bottled up and kept inside the house, and if someone doesn't want to talk about it, you'll never hear about it," Sen Const Power said.
"So by alerting kids that this is not right, this should not be happening, we might one day stop it."