There are many manifestations of gender and sexual violence both in Africa and the Arctic. This keynote speech addresses the continuum of gender and sexual violence from a lifespan perspective. Our aim is to gain new insights by revisiting gender and sexual violence not just in a life span continuum but also by considering cultural diversity in between and within the defined geographic areas. In taking two remote areas such as these, our aim is to locate and give voice to the existing gaps in the knowledge e.g. the issues that would also need further consideration by the researchers, policy-makers, practitioners, and activists to develop a more accurate conceptualisation and understanding of the topic