李克强总理敦促避免留守儿童悲剧

Following the incident, several officials responsible have been sacked or suspended.

Local police found a suicide note left by the eldest of the four siblings, a boy, saying he had been thinking of death for many years.

The four children, one older brother and three younger sisters, had lived on their own without adult guardians since at least March.

Wang Zhenyao, head of the China Philanthropy Research Institution of Beijing Normal University, says it's time to establish a system to deprive irresponsible parents' of child custody when necessary.

"Usually, parents love their children. However, according to research, about 40 percent of Chinese households are scenes of child abuse due to parents' lack of knowledge, among which 4 percent are particularly serious. So it is urgent now for the government to set up a system to supervise irresponsible parents, to punish or even deprive them custody of their children."

Both parents had gone to Guangdong to search for work in different cities, making the four siblings "left-behind children."

The eldest son received money each month on a bank card his father gave him.

Local government has contacted the mother of the dead and sent people to pick her up, while the father told media that he knew what had happened and would go back home.

The reasons behind the tragedy are still under investigation.

China has at least 60 million children in rural areas who are left with relatives, usually grandparents.

Wang Zhenyao suggests that the government should do more to secure the treatment and welfare of the left-behind children.

"It is not yet clear by law in our country about who's responsible for these left-behind children. We don't know who should be taking care of them under what kind of system or mechanism. To any local government, simple policy making is far from enough. Without money, specialized facility, or professional staff, left-behind children's welfare won't be properly protected."

The "left-behind" children can easily fall victim to such tragedies as the one in Bijie City, or become victims of trafficking or suicide.

Wang Zhenyao from the China Philanthropy Research Institution says these children are also more prone to psychological problems.

"According to my experience and years of study, what children need more is psychological care. They need us to watch out for their mental health by providing more love and care."

At the same time, The Ministry of Civil Affairs says it will review into its social welfare network and offer psychological help for the needy.

The ministry will also work with other departments, nongovernmental organizations and village communities to launch a special service for rural children who are left behind by migrant worker parents.

For CRI, this is Wang Wei.