This report presents the results of the study entitled Discourses and Representations of
HIV in Fiji and their Impact on the Experience of People Living with HIV and AIDS. This
study was conducted in collaboration with the Reproductive Health Clinics of Suva,
Lautoka and Labasa and the Fiji Network for People Living with HIV and AIDS (FJN+)
between November 2007 and December 2008. The necessary approvals and
authorizations had been previously obtained from the Fiji National Health Research
Committee, the Fiji National Research Ethics Review Committee (FNRERC Reference
Number 009-2007), the Ministry of Education and the Immigration Department. This
research was funded by a doctoral scholarship from the Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada (752-2006-1062).
Archival research, HIV document collection, participant observation, focus groups and
interviews were among the methods and approaches employed in the context of this
study. Several social actors (health workers, AIDS advocates, church representatives,
etc.) were also invited to participate. However, it is the life stories of 28 women and men
living with HIV that constitute the core of this study and of this report. Analysing life
stories is a privileged way of examining social and cultural realities as experienced by the
individuals. Collecting and presenting the life stories of people living with HIV is also an
important way of showing solidarity with people affected by the infection.
This report first provides information on the objectives and methods of this research as it
was originally conceived and eventually conducted. It then presents the results of this
study as they emerged from the collection of the life stories of the 28 women and men.
To conclude, the report deals with implications and recommendations for the control,
prevention and treatment of HIV in Fiji. In this, improving the quality of life of people
living with HIV and addressing stigma and discrimination should always be a priority.i