An indentured servant or indentured labor is an employee (indenturee) within a system of unfree labor, who is bound by a contract (indenture) to work for a particular employer, for a fixed period of time. The employer is often permitted to assign the labor of an indenturee to a third party. Indenturees usually enter into an indenture for a specific payment or other benefit, or to meet a legal obligation, such as debt bondage. In many countries, systems of indentured labor have been outlawed.