Every second in Canada an act of violence against women occurs. Interval House, Canada’s first centre for abused women and children (now celebrating its 40th year) and we are bringing this staggering statistic to life, with a new project called Every Second Matters. The Facebook connect driven website puts familiar faces on victims of domestic violence, and prompts visitors to take a stand by buying a second of the day, with each second representing the victims of domestic violence.

The interactive experience begins when users connect to Facebook, giving the site permission to access their friend list. From there, a clock appears showing the current time of day, with a message, “Every second a Canadian woman is abused.” As the clock continues, the user comes face-to-face with a photograph of a female Facebook friend, and are asked the question, “Who has to be affected to make you care?” With every second that passes, a new face appears.

There are 86,400 seconds in a day, and the purpose of the website is to sell all of them. Every donation, no matter how small, goes towards helping the women who turn to Interval House, to help turn their lives around.

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