The authorities have taken some practical measures in recent years to help migrant workers get their wages on time. The amendment to the Criminal Law, which took effect on May 1, 2011, stipulates that employers deliberately denying workers' wages could face charges and up to seven years in prison. Also, some local governments have made it mandatory for developers to deposit cash before starting a construction project which could be used to pay workers' wages if the former do not pay them on time.

But recent years have seen disputes between employers defaulting on wage payment and migrant workers hitting the headlines with regularity, especially at year-end, with only a few employers violating the rules being punished. Statistics show that since 2011 when the "punitive clause on wage arrears" was incorporated into the country's criminal code, only 120 people across the country have been penalized.

Another problem is that, some enterprises get away without depositing the required "guarantee money" with local governments because the two sides share some common interests, making the well-conceived measure futile.

Besides, in case of a dispute over wage payment, migrant workers usually have to go through some complicated and time-consuming procedures, such as applying to government departments for mediation and/or arbitration, before filing a case in court against their employer. The fear of such tedious and complicated procedures forces some migrant workers to take extreme measures to get their wage arrears.

The tragic death of the 14-year-old girl testifies to the lack of administrative and legal safeguards for migrant workers. Instead of waiting for a tragedy to happen to help migrant workers get their rightful due, local governments should put in place a set of simple, convenient and effective procedures that will prompt migrant workers to seek legal help to safeguard their rights and interests.

The author is a senior writer with China Daily. wuyixue@chinadaily.com.cn