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Though Fiji remains a “low prevalence” country in terms of HIV infection, its epidemiology and transmission risks and dynamics remain unclear. Additionally, Fijians migrate commonly, their rates of condom use are low, casual and commercial sexual networking is normative, the number of untreated sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is high, and interpersonal, often intimate partner violence, mostly perpetrated by males against females and other sexual minorities, is common. HIV social research capacity in Fiji, as in other Pacific island countries, is insufficient to understand HIV and STI transmission dynamics well enough to intervene effectively against them. Our article discusses a part-training, part-research project sponsored by the Pacific Centre branch of the United Nations Development Program, located in Suva, the capital of Fiji, that was designed to begin to rectify this situation. Our study explored the ways in which Fijians self-assess HIV and STI transmission risks and attempt to prevent intimate partner transmission.