An interest group has set an ambitious goal of eliminating bullying in Hong Kong over the next decade.

The Council on Education and Early Childhood Services said that, according to its July survey of 500 elementary students, parents and teachers, one in three students has been bullied at school.

The group called for a society-wide effort to fight the problem.

“In the next decade we want to reduce the number of harassment to zero. So this is a big challenge for Hong Kong and we call on everyone, our Legco members, our bureau chiefs, our influencers, our media, to help us,” said Sansan Ching, council director, at a conference Thursday.

The group has launched an “anti-bullying month” during which a series of awareness-raising activities will take place, including a casual clothing day, a drawing competition and family workshops.

And a petition co-signed by parents, teachers, lawyers and medical professionals presented to the government at the end of the conference called for a legal framework to protect students, as well as more training for teachers to identify and intervene in cases.

According to guidelines issued by the Office of Education, schools must intervene and follow up on bullying incidents as soon as possible.

Psychiatrist Doris Chan said bullying can have a long-term psychological impact on victims and a more positive school environment is needed.

“Most of them have lower self-esteem and feel worthless. And some suffer from mood problems. And a minority have other illnesses, such as post-traumatic stress disorder,” he said.